3.4 Structural Analysis of the Brain

Question 1

computerized tomography (CT/CAT)

Answer 1

refers to a computerized x-ray imaging procedure in which a narrow beam of x-rays is aimed at a patient and quickly rotated around the body, producing signals that are processed by the machine’s computer to generate cross-sectional images, or “slices.”

Question 2

magnetig resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 2

MRIs employ powerful magnets which produce a strong magnetic field that forces protons in the body to align with that field. When a radiofrequency current is then pulsed through the patient, the protons are stimulated, and spin out of equilibrium, straining against the pull of the magnetic field.

Question 3

diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

Answer 3

This is used to study the anatomical structures of the axon tracts that form the brain’s white matter, this method offers information about anatomical connectivity between regions.