The more activity in an area, the higher the bloodflow to that area of the brain. This is to maintain the high activity, the brain area needs oxygen and nutrients, supplied by blood.
How do fMRI scanners work
fMRI scanners use a magneticfield and radiowaves to measure changes in bloodflow and oxygenation caused by neural activity. Specifically measuring change in energy released by hemoglobin. This is used to identify which areas are active and consuming more oxygen
How are fMRI scans presented
They're presented as a 3Dactivationmap to identify active parts and localise functions.
How do you identify brain activity
Patients go through an experimental task e.g. identifying faces and the brain activity during the experimental task is compared to the brain activity during the baseline task e.g. looking at a cross.
What shows stronger brain activity
Areas with higher oxygenconsumption show stronger brain activity. These come up as yellow or red on the activation map.
