FMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging, is a new imaging technique that measures and localizes specific brain functions. In other words, it makes visible which parts of the brain are working when we make a certain movement or look at something, for example. These areas of the brain use energy, which is passed through the blood vessels as oxygen or sugar and burned in the nerve cells.
Blood flow to the brain measurable
fMRI can reveal the varying levels of oxygen in red blood cells – a high level indicates activity in that particular region of the brain. Thus, fMRI measures the changes in blood flow to tissues in different areas of the brain caused by the demand for energy from active neurons.
FMRI compared with other techniques
Since physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered the invisible X-rays named after him in 1895, it has been possible for medical professionals to see inside the human body without the need for surgical procedures. However, X-rays cause damage to a living organism. Computed tomography (CT for short) also evaluates a large number of X-ray images taken from different perspectives and processes them into a three-dimensional image using a computer.
In contrast, fMRI does not use X-rays or other ionizing radiation and thus has a major advantage over the other methods. Like magnetic resonance therapy (MRI), which has been developed since the 1980s and uses individual cross-sectional images to provide information on organs, tissues and consequently pathological changes, fMRI does not only allow a view of the bones.
Who benefits from fMRI?
fMRI provides new insights into ways the brain functions. In particular, emotional and cognitive processes can be studied in greater detail with the help of fMRI. Neuropsychology and neurology use fMRI to study different processes of brain metabolism in healthy individuals and patients suffering from mental disorders. In addition to psychiatric clinical pictures, neurological clinical pictures are also examined with the new possibilities of fMRI. In addition, fMRI is used to study brain tumors and chronic pain.
Before surgery, fMRI allows conclusions to be drawn about how much tumor can be removed without damaging healthy, functional brain tissue. This can reduce the risks of paralysis, speech problems or loss of sensation that can result from surgery. fMRI can also visualize the fiber connections and fiber tracts in the brain that may not be destroyed during surgery.
