CHAPTER 45 – fMRI Brain Mapping: Clinical Applications of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging*

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of human brain activity are described. Task-induced changes in brain cognitive state were measured using high-speed MRI techniques that are sensitive to changes in cerebral blood volume, cerebral blood flow, and blood oxygenation. These techniques were used to generate the first functional MRI maps of human task activation, by using a visual stimulus paradigm. The methodology of MRI brain mapping is presented, illustrated by results from the investigation of the functional organization and frequency response of human primary visual cortex (V1) and sensorimotor cortex. Clinical applications of functional MRI, including cerebral ischemia, neoplasm, and presurgical planning, are discussed.