Brain Imaging in Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience: Synthesis

Abstract

It has been less than two decades since Ogawa, Kwong, and other neuroimaging pioneers published the first studies demonstrating that blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) changes could be detected using magnetic resonance (MR)-based methods (Kwong et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89:5675–5679, 1992; Ogawa et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89:5951–5955, 1992; Ogawa et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 87(24):9868–9872, 1990; Ogawa et al., Magn Reson Med 14(1):68–78, 1990). These results rapidly spurred functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) investigations of the effects of sensory stimulation, motor function, and basic cognitive processes (Bandettini et al., Hum Brain Mapp 5(2):93–109, 1997; Belliveau et al., Science 254(5032):716–719, 1991; Buckner et al., Neuron 20(2):285–296, 1998; Malach et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92(18):8135–8139, 1995; Cohen et al., Brain 119 (Pt 1):89–100, 1996; Cramer et al., Hum Brain Mapp 16(4):197–205, 2002; Rao et al., Neuroreport 8(8):1987–1993, 1997) that complemented parallel work that had been emerging a few years before using radiological methods like positron emission tomography (PET) (Petersen et al., Nature 331(6157):585–589, 1988). Since then, there has been an explosion of interest and research in the field of functional brain imaging, along with major methodological advancements. Functional brain imaging has evolved to the point that many universities now have research-dedicated MR scanners independent of the clinical facilities that are often available within affiliated medical center settings. Furthermore, a number of psychology departments have installed MR systems in their on-campus buildings which, given the costs associated with having a dedicated scanner, reflects a growing perception that this technology is likely to have a major impact on cognitive and behavioral science in the years to come.