PSYB55H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3.8: Diffusion Mri, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, White Matter
Document Summary
Magnetic resonance imaging (mri) is a neuroimaging technique that exploits the magnetic properties of organic tissue. Certain atoms are especially sensitized to magnetic forces b/c of the # of protons and neutrons in their nuclei. The orientation of these atoms can be altered by the presence of a strong magnetic field. A radio frequency signal can be used to knock these aligned atoms from their orientation in the magnetic field. The atoms will then realign w/ the magnetic field and give off a radio frequency signal that can be measured by sensitive detectors. Structural mri studies usually measure variations in the density of hydrogen ions in the tissue being scanned. Functional mri measures changes over time in the signal intensity of the targeted atom: diffusion tensor imaging (dti) is a neuroimaging technique employed using an mri scanner that allows white matter pathways in the brain to be imaged.
