What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

Introduction Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a class of imaging methods developed in order to demonstrate regional, time-varying changes in brain metabolism3,37,49. These metabolic changes can be consequent to task-induced cognitive state changes or the result of unregulated processes in the resting brain.

What is the resolution of an fMRI scan?

Generally, most fMRI is performed using an Echo Planar Imaging (EPI) method, which can collect data for a two dimensional image in approximately 60 ms at typical resolutions (3.4 × 3.4 × 4 mm 3 voxel size). Typically, whole brain scans with ~ 32 2D slices are acquired with a repetition time (TR) of 2s/volume.

What are the challenges of fMRI in cognitive psychology?

These challenges include low contrast to noise ratio of BOLD signals, image distortion, and signal dropout. More recently, attention is turning to the use of pattern classification and other statistical methods to draw increasingly complex inferences about cognitive brain states from fMRI data.

What can we learn from fMRI contrast?

Increasingly, fMRI is being used as a biomarker for disease33,36, to monitor therapy54, or for studying pharmacological efficacy62. Thus, it is of interest to review the fMRI contrast mechanisms, the strengths and weaknesses, and evolutionary trends of this important tool.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique for measuring and mapping brain activity that is noninvasive and safe. It is being used in many studies to better understand how the healthy brain works, and in a growing number of studies it is being applied to understand how that normal function is disrupted in disease.

What is the highest level of giftedness?

Given the much lower scores resulting from the newest generation of tests (WISC-IV, SB-5 and WJ-III cognitive), professionals who work with the gifted are suggesting a new set of scores and descriptive levels of giftedness, beginning at 120 to 125 for “moderately” gifted, and progressing to 142 to 145+ for “profoundly” gifted.

What is the difference between a gifted and advanced student?

Advanced students, or bright students, are those who have learned the basics of a topic and are ready to go deeper and move on to more challenging work. They may exhibit a few of the above traits but are not likely to demonstrate most of them the way a gifted child does.

How is structural MRI used to complement functional MRI?

Structural MRI provides information about brain anatomy to complement functional MRI in a number of ways. Since brain function depends to some extent on the integrity of brain structure, measures that characterize the underlying tissue integrity allow one to examine the impact of tissue loss or damage on functional signals.