PSYC 4600 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Haemodynamic Response, Top
15 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Lecture 3: fmri (functional magnetic resonance imaging) fmri. Pinpoints changes in blood flow in the brain: localizes areas of the brain that are active during neural activity. Measures amount of brain activity where it is occurring: not just structure of the brain, but also localization of activity. 2 helpful analogies: pushing a swing resonant frequency. Absorb and release at just the right frequency: spinning top. Purpose of mri: allows for structural and static images of the brain, uses 1. 5 to 3 tesla"s of magnetism. Physics of mri: humans are comprised of hydrogen atoms (which have a single proton, protons spin in presence of energy, producing an electromagnetic field, the spin aligns to the magnetic field produced by the mri machine. Parallel spin proton is in a low energy state. Magnetism causes them to stay in low energy state, making the spin easier to control: controlled energy.
