functional magnetic resonance imaging

noun

: magnetic resonance imaging used to detect physical changes (as of blood flow) in the brain resulting from increased neuronal activity

called also functional MRI

Examples of functional magnetic resonance imaging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As part of the study, 15 dogs underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) scan to see how their brain reacted to the offers of either social interaction, a food reward or nothing. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

These scans, taken using fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging, show that strong words such as ‘death,’ ‘trouble,’ ‘carefree,’ and ‘praise,’ trigger different patterns of brain activity in people who are suicidal, compared with people who are not. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Nov. 2017

Using data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology mapped what different brain networks activate when subjects watch clips from a range of movies. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024

This all took place inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, which recorded brain activity in real time. —New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

functional magnetic resonance imaging

noun

: magnetic resonance imaging used to demonstrate correlations between physical changes (as in blood flow) in the brain and mental functioning (as in performing cognitive tasks)

—abbreviation fMRI

called also functional MRI