What are functional brain imaging techniques?
Each functional imaging technique measures one aspect of brain activity in the form of electromagnetic signals. Three-dimensional (spatial) maps of this activity are then reconstructed using special algorithms. These maps are subsequently used to derive information regarding the degree to which neurophysiological activity (i.e., neuronal signaling) increases above certain “baseline” levels as participants engage in experimental tasks, each is designed to evoke a particular cognitive function. Such changes in regional activity are viewed as evidence that the “activated” brain region participates in the performance of the cognitive function(s) that the experimental task requires. How is MSI unique? MSI is unique among other functional imaging techniques for its ability to provide spatiotemporal brain activation profiles that reflect not only where activity occurs in the brain but also when this activity occurs in relation to the presentation of an external stimulus. In this way, we elici
