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Functional MR mapping of activated cortical areas
G Brix1, F Gückel, M E Bellemann
1Forschungsschwerpunkt, Radiologische Diagnostik und Therapie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum DKFZ, Heidelberg.
Nuklearmedizin. Nuclear Medicine
|October 1, 1994
Summary
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) detects brain activity by measuring blood flow changes. This study demonstrates fMRI
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Functional Neuroimaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Background:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows sensitivity to neuronal activity in cortical areas.
- Functional neuroimaging is an emerging field.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report initial experiences with functional MR brain mapping at high spatial resolution.
- To compare MRI with positron emission tomography (PET) for functional neuroimaging.
Main Methods:
- 10 functional MR brain activation studies were performed on 8 healthy volunteers.
- Time course series of T2*-weighted FLASH images were acquired from three adjacent brain slices.
- MR brain activation maps were superimposed on T1-weighted anatomic images.
Main Results:
- A significant signal increase was observed in gray matter cortical layers during visual and motor tasks.
- Activation was detected in primary and associative visual cortex and sensorimotor cortex.
- Functional MRI (fMRI) successfully mapped brain activity with high spatial resolution.
Conclusions:
- Functional MRI (fMRI) is a viable tool for mapping brain function with high spatial resolution.
- fMRI offers potential advantages and limitations compared to PET in functional neuroimaging.
- This study highlights MRI's advancement into functional neuroimaging.