Clinical application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) effect has increased over the past decade because of its ability to map regional blood flow in response to brain stimulation. This mapping is primarily achieved by exploiting the BOLD effect precipitated by changes in the magnetic properties of hemoglobin. BOLD fMRI has utility in neurosurgical planning and mapping neuronal functional connectivity. Conventional echo planar imaging techniques are used to acquire stimulus-driven fMR imaging BOLD data. This article highlights technical aspects of fMRI data analysis to make it more accessible in clinical settings.
Keywords: BOLD; Normalization; Realignment; Smoothing; Statistical inference; fMRI.
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