Resting-state fMRI: new possibilities for studying physiology and pathology of the brain

Abstract

A new method, resting-state fMRI, has been proposed recentlfor studying basic sensory, emotional, and cognitive processes inhealthy and neurologically affected subjects. It allows assessingspontaneous co-activation of different CNS regions in rest onthe basis of temporal characteristics of neuronal activity ofanatomically separated brain regions. On resting-state fMRIstudies, the existence of stable and functionally linked restingstatebrain networks was shown, that is important in the contextof basic mechanisms of neurological disorders. We performed afirst resting-state fMRI study in Russia in the group of 10 healthysubjects and revealed a clear default mode network patternwhich was consistent with data in published papers. Examiningof integrative system of functionally interacting brain regionswith the use of resting-state fMRI can provide new insights intolarge-scale neuronal communication within the human brain.

Keywords

• resting-state fmri
• brain
• functional connectivity
• neuronal communication