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Neuroscience

fMRI under the spotlight

Nature volume 465, pages 700–701 (2010)Cite this article

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Analysis of a selected class of neuron in the brains of live animals using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) opens the door to mapping genetically specified neural circuits.

Advances in modern brain research are such that the line between science and science fiction can sometimes seem blurred. During the past 20 years, two advances have redefined the limits of experimental neuroscience. The first is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which is widely used to map brain activity in humans. The second is genetic reprogramming of brain cells using molecular genetics. In an elegant study on page 788 of this issue, Lee et al.1 combine these methods to demonstrate that, in the rat brain, the direct activation with light of a genetically defined subclass of neuron leads to robust fMRI responses. This finding not only demonstrates a tight link between neural firing and fMRI responses, but also introduces a powerful tool for mapping the function and dysfunction of large-scale brain circuits.

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Figure 1: fMRI responses to stimulations near and far.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. David A. Leopold is in the Unit on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. leopoldd@mail.nih.gov ,

    David A. Leopold

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  1. David A. Leopold
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Leopold, D. fMRI under the spotlight. Nature 465, 700–701 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/465700a

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