Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Applications

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) produces dynamic images of the brain that reflect local differences in neuronal activity. Although there is still much to be learned about the biological processes underlying FMRI, the technology is sufficiently advanced to permit its use in exploratory studies of human brain function. A fruitful focus for this research lies in the study of the visual system. Previous work using other methods has generated a vast body of information about vision that can be used to make predictions about the results of FMRI experiments. At the same time, much of this knowledge derives from animal work and needs to be tested and extended with human studies. The following presents a review of some oft he recent applications of FMRI with an emphasis on studies of human visual cortex.