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M. J. Friedrich

JAMA. 2005;294:781-783.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Plug in the term fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to PubMed and the search engine will generate tens of thousands of relevant citations. Since this brain imaging technique first appeared in the early 1990s, its use has "simply exploded," says Marcus Raichle, MD, professor of radiology, neurology, and anatomy and neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, a pioneer in functional brain imaging.

Not only are researchers using fMRI and other neuroimaging tools to examine basic sensorimotor and cognitive processes and brain pathology, they are also using them to explore complex brain functions involved in human motivation, reasoning, and social attitudes. This new ability to explore brain mechanisms is opening an array of opportunities to advance the understanding of the brain in health and disease.

When pathological gamblers and controls are shown gambling-related images, functional magnetic resonance imaging reveals that the brains of the gamblers . . . [Full Text of this Article]

NEUROLITERACY