A brief introduction to functional MRI

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine focuses on modern methods for the analysis of data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Accordingly, the guest editors have seen fit to begin with a brief article on the history, mechanisms and methods behind fMRI. This is followed by the presentation of recent significant progress in paradigm design for fMRI as well as development of other methods for assessing the functional anatomy of the human brain, such as diffusion tensor imaging, for mapping white matter fiber tracts. Thus, the future appears to promise a more integrative approach to functional brain imaging, in which data from multiple modalities are entered into comprehensive analyses of brain function and connectivity.