Volumetric Measurements of Activity Pattern of the Brain with fMRI Data

Abstract

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a technique for measuring brain activity. It works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and the blood flow pattern that occur in response to neural activity The analysis of fMRI data involves the measurement of several features of the activity regions. These features include volume, depth, area, time, etc. Each of these features gives the researcher some idea about how the brain has reacted to the given stimulus. However, it is not easy to measure these characteristic features when there is only 2D data in the form of slices to work on. This is one of the main reasons why a 3D representation is desired. The 3D model allows interactive depth viewing. It gives a clear indication of the depth of inception of the activity and also depth of seizure of the activity. It gives the location of the activity in all the three orientations thus providing the data for surgical preparations. The visibility of the activity to the full is sometimes available in only certain orientation. The selection of the relevant orientation is easy with 3D rendering. The tool even allows for measurements in the 3D view in all the three directions. These factors make the 3D rendering a useful technique in volumetric measurements of the fMRI data.