Magnetic Resonance Imaging

 

• If a patient is presented with sensory information of asked to perform a motor task, the cortical region responsible for this activity receives an overabundant supply of oxygenated blood.
• The magnetic properties of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood differ, so if the patient is imaged in a resting state and performing the task then the signal intensity in the relevant cortical region will differ slightly (a few percent at most) in the two cases.
• Computer analysis allows this difference to be displayed as an activation image, as above.
• This technique has applications in basic neuroscience, and in planning neurosurgery for individual patients so as to preserve as much neurological function as possible.

 

Click the Next button below to continue.