77 – Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This chapter reviews the key contributions of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to the understanding of human cognition and its various disorders. Following a brief introduction on fMRI methodology, the application of fMRI to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying some core aspects of human cognition is illustrated in the chapter. The convergence and divergence of functional imaging and neurological data from patients with lesions of the central nervous system is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on how this informs the knowledge of the pathophysiology of disorders of cognition and neurological disease before the use of robust fMRI paradigms in presurgical patient evaluation and the planning of neurosurgical approaches to brain tumors is also reported. Thereafter, the application of fMRI in developing novel approaches to the treatment of patients with neurological and neuropsychological deficits is highlighted. The chapter demonstrates the powerful potential of applying fMRI in both a clinical and a more research-oriented environment and its promising perspective to deliver new insights into neurological diseases and their treatment in the years to come. Two particularly promising areas have been highlighted: human pharmacological fMRI and studies that link genotypic and phenotypic information.