AO1 - fMRI

• Identifies the changes in levels of oxygen in blood that occurs due to brain activity in specific areas - high spatial resolution
• When a brain area is more active, it leads to more oxygen being used so there is an increase of blood flow to this active area
• fMRI produces a 3D image showing which part of the brain is active, called an activation map
• It has been used to identify which specific parts of the brain are active in particular mental processes (showing localisation of function)
• They have a time delay - low temporal resolution