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 Researchers have developed a series of technological improvements that dramatically increase the spatial resolution of an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) machine. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Dec. 2023 Others are studying the workings of the brain using modern technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation, in attempts to unravel the conundrum of consciousness. Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023 Rebecca Saxe, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her colleagues scanned 42 infants ranging in age from two to nine months using a special functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) helmet designed specifically for babies. Dana G. Smith, Scientific American, 15 Nov. 2021 In three different experiments, similar regions of the brain were activated when subjects admitted their minds had wandered from a task, as shown here in functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Tim Vernimmen, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2022 In a recent study, the researchers asked about a hundred 15-year-olds to listen to a piece of music while their brain was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which shows which areas of the brain are active during a certain task. Eva Amsen, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022 Participants listened to the stimuli while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 13 July 2023 In 2011 researchers from Emory University used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, to predict the commercial success or failure of songs. Lucy Tu, Scientific American, 30 June 2023 The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, focused on three subjects, each of whom spent 16 hours listening to narrative podcasts like The Moth and Modern Love while lying in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'functional magnetic resonance imaging.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of functional magnetic resonance imaging was in 1988

Dictionary Entries Near functional magnetic resonance imaging

functional load

functional magnetic resonance imaging

functional middleman

Cite this Entry

“Functional magnetic resonance imaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/functional%20magnetic%20resonance%20imaging. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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

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