ESCUELA POLITCNICA NACIONAL

BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION
NAME: LUIS ANDRS CORRALES
GROUP: GR1
DATE : 16/07/2016
ESSAY
(PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF FUNCTIONAL MRI OF THE HIMAN BRAIN)
MRI is an imaging technique used for radiological diagnosis and produces an alignment in the hydrogen
protons contained in water molecules. The magnetic resonance imaging has an exquisite resolution in three
dimensions, and differentiates soft tissues very well. Functional MRI is established in many centers and this
relies on detecting small changes in the signals used to produce magnetic resonance images. This technique
has many forms to be performed in practice and also has some limitations and applications.
Functional MRI detects the changes in blood oxygen level-dependent called BOLD. These variations are
produced because of the changes in neuronal activity. The alterations in blood flow change the tissue and the
concentration of deoxyhemoglobin within tissues decreases. This decrease has a direct effect on the signals
used to produce magnetic resonance images. The longevity of the signals used to produce magnetic
resonance images is directly dependent on the uniformity of the magnetic field experienced by water
molecules. The consequence of having lower levels of deoxyhemoglobin present in a region of brain tissue is
because the decay of MRI signal from that region. In functional MRI different kinds of stimulus have to be
administered in a control fashion when a subject is placed in the magnet of the MRI machine.
There are several forms to which a MRI can be performed in practice. Most studies are performed using
snapshot in which images are recorded in less than a second, but one disadvantage is that these images
have poorer resolution and overall quality than the images used for radiological diagnosis. Multiple
recordings of the MRI signal permit a degree of signal averaging that increases the reliability of the results.
Another technique is so-called blocks designs in which stimuli are presented in alternating shot runs of
several seconds. Then the MRI signals are compared for the two types of blocks. The block design is easy to
perform and it can be developed for the localization of several basic functions including: primary sensor
areas, areas involved with simple motor tasks, higher order visual areas, and higher order language areas.
The second type of experimental technique is the event-related potential (ERP) that uses transient stimuli that
replicate those used in so-called. Even-related studies offer a bigger variety of experimental designs. For
example, the electrophysiology. A well-known ERP is the P300 that detonates a positive electrical potential
that is measurable in the scalp. P300 are recorded for diagnostic applications in neurology and psychiatry.
Functional MRI has some limitations; one of them is due to the velocity in which images are recorded. This
fast imaging reduces the spatial resolution to a few millimeters. The BOLD effect is small, limiting the
sensitivity, and as a result functional experiments require multiple samples of brain responses. The reliability
of MRI is reduced when there are variations that are not yet understood. Functional MRI provides an
accurate mapping of critical functions.
In conclusion, there are several techniques in which functional MRI can be developed for clinical
applications. The images of the different tissues not only from the brain, also from other parts of the body
have a soft resolution, but is has to take in consideration that it depends on the technique that is used to
performed and MRI. The accurate mapping, on the other hand, has a big role to play in the management of
clinical patients that suffer diverse disorders.