fMRI shows which?

fMRI shows which?

• A. Brain activity
• B. Brain structure
• C. Neural pathways
• D. Brain waves

Answer: (A)

Functional MRI is used to detect brain activity by measuring the blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal. When a brain region is more active, neurons consume more oxygen, and the local blood flow changes in a way that changes the ratio of oxygenated to deoxygenated blood. The fMRI scanner picks up this change as a signal, allowing us to see which areas are engaged during a task. It’s an indirect measure of neural activity, with good spatial detail but slower temporal resolution compared to the actual firing of neurons. Brain structure is better seen with structural MRI, not the functional signal. Neural pathways or white-matter tracts are typically mapped with diffusion imaging, and brain waves are measured with EEG/MEG, not fMRI. Hence, the fMRI result points to brain activity.

Functional MRI is used to detect brain activity by measuring the blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal. When a brain region is more active, neurons consume more oxygen, and the local blood flow changes in a way that changes the ratio of oxygenated to deoxygenated blood. The fMRI scanner picks up this change as a signal, allowing us to see which areas are engaged during a task. It’s an indirect measure of neural activity, with good spatial detail but slower temporal resolution compared to the actual firing of neurons.

Brain structure is better seen with structural MRI, not the functional signal. Neural pathways or white-matter tracts are typically mapped with diffusion imaging, and brain waves are measured with EEG/MEG, not fMRI. Hence, the fMRI result points to brain activity.