Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A newer form of MRI that can be used to analyze changes in brain function during the conduct of a MRI scan. The patient is typically asked to perform a task, such as viewing pictures on a screen, while the MRI is being performed. While these tasks are performed over time, FMRI can detect changes in blood flow to regions of the brain. These changes indicate what areas of the brain are involved in a particular task or function. By comparing patients with a disease to healthy patients, the areas of the brain that are affected by disease can be determined at the tissue level, but not at the cellular level.
