FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING OF THE SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX

Functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging, like positron emission to mography (PET), shows regions of activation in the brain resulting fro m the neuronal activity associated with cognitive, sensory, or motor f unction. An advantage of fMR imaging is that the functional and the re ference anatomic images are acquired simultaneously. Additionally, fMR imaging is generally more available than PET or magnetoencephalograph y. This article reviews the applications of fMR imaging for studying t he sensorimotor cortex prior to craniotomy.