ERQ brain imaging

Question 1

fmri

Answer 1

Unlike MRIs, which look purely at brain structure, fMRIs show actual brain activity and indicate which areas of the brain are active when engaged in a behavior or cognitive process. fMRIs measure changes in blood flow as a measurement of brain activity. If a specific part of the brain is active, it requires more oxygen, and thus blood flow to that part of the brain increases. fMRIs produce a film that demonstrates the changes in blood flow in the brain (and therefore also neural activity) during the period of the scan.

Question 2

mri

Answer 2

MRIs use magnetic fields and radio waves to map the activity of hydrogen protons. Water molecules contain hydrogen protons and are present in brain tissue. MRIs create composite pictures of brain structures. The images can be viewed from any angle as a slice of the brain, or they can be used to create a three-dimensional image of the brain. Two possible ways to analyze MRIs are voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and pixel counting. VBM can be used to measure the density of grey matter and pixel counting can be used to calculate the area of certain brain structures.