Functional magnetic resonance imaging

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/functional-magnetic-resonance-imaging

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific principle?Measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygen levels (BOLD contrast)
2. What is the key discoverer?Seiji Ogawa and colleagues in 1990
3. What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?fMRI is a special camera that looks at the brain without touching it. It sees changes in blood flow that happen when neurons fire. This lets scientists map where thinking and feeling happen in the brain.
4. How does fMRI show which parts of the brain are working?When neurons fire, they need more oxygen, so blood rushes to that spot. fMRI measures tiny differences in the magnetic signal caused by oxygen‑rich and oxygen‑poor blood. These differences show which areas are active.

Hemodynamic Response: The brain's physiological reaction to neural activity, involving changes in blood flow and oxygenation.
BOLD Contrast: A neuroimaging technique that detects brain activity by measuring the magnetic properties of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
Resting-State fMRI: fMRI scans conducted when a subject is not performing a specific task, revealing intrinsic brain network activity.
Default Mode Network (DMN): A network of brain regions consistently active during introspective thought and rest.