ABSTRACT
La resonancia magnética funcional (RMf) es una herramienta avanzada para el estudio de las funciones cerebrales en sujetos sanos y pacientes neuropsiquiátricos, que logra identificar y localizar fenómenos específicos del metabolismo y la actividad neuronal. Comenzando por la detección de los cambios en la irrigación de una región que participa en una función, actualmente se han desarrollado aproximaciones más complejas que estudian la dinámica de las redes neuronales. Tanto en reposo como asociada a tareas, se ha aportado evidencia relativa al inicio, la evolución o la respuesta al tratamiento de diversas enfermedades. Los posibles artefactos asociados al registro y la complejidad de los diseños experimentales analíticos han generado abundante debate en torno a la técnica de la RMf. El objetivo del presente artículo es introducir al lector en las bases de la RMf, su interpretación y sus contribuciones al estudio de los mecanismos subyacentes a diversas afecciones del sistema nervioso
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an advanced tool for the study of brain functions in healthy subjects and in neuropsychiatric patients. This tool makes it possible to identify and locate specific phenomena related to neuronal metabolism and activity. Starting with the detection of changes in the blood supply to a region that participates in a function, more complex approaches have been developed to study the dynamics of neuronal networks. Studies examining the brain at rest or involved in different tasks have provided evidence related to the onset, development, and/or response to treatment in various diseases. The diversity of the possible artifacts associated with image registration as well as the complexity of the analytical experimental designs has generated abundant debate about the technique behind fMRI. This article aims to introduce readers to the fundamentals underlying fMRI, to explain how fMRI studies are interpreted, and to discuss fMRI's contributions to the study of the mechanisms underlying diverse diseases of the nervous system
Subject(s)
Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Functional Neuroimaging/methods , Central Nervous System Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Mental Disorders/diagnostic imaging , Neurodegenerative Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Neurosciences/trends , Nerve Net/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an advanced tool for the study of brain functions in healthy subjects and in neuropsychiatric patients. This tool makes it possible to identify and locate specific phenomena related to neuronal metabolism and activity. Starting with the detection of changes in the blood supply to a region that participates in a function, more complex approaches have been developed to study the dynamics of neuronal networks. Studies examining the brain at rest or involved in different tasks have provided evidence related to the onset, development, and/or response to treatment in various diseases. The diversity of the possible artifacts associated with image registration as well as the complexity of the analytical experimental designs has generated abundant debate about the technique behind fMRI. This article aims to introduce readers to the fundamentals underlying fMRI, to explain how fMRI studies are interpreted, and to discuss fMRI's contributions to the study of the mechanisms underlying diverse diseases of the nervous system.
