Functional Neuroimaging Essay

Neuroimaging is defined as a “set of tools that produce pictures, of the brain, sometimes called brain scans” (). There are two specific types of neuroimaging: functional and structural. Functional neuroimaging looks for brain activity by measuring the amount of oxygen that changes in the blood, electrical impulses or chemical activity. Structural imaging generates pictures inside of a head, that includes pictures of bones, brain tissues, blood vessels and fluid of the brain and spine. Neuroimaging are used by specialist to help a child who had serious head injuries. Neuroimaging can also show signs of a stroke or epilepsy, brain tumor or lesion, or other brain diseases or any diseases that affect the skulls or blood vessel. For example, …show more content…
Neuroimaging research are less common within young infants and young adolescence. With that said, magnetic resonaning imaging has “opened up new possibilities for studying human brain structure and function across lifespan” ( Raschle, Zuk, Ortiz-Mantilla, Sliva, Franceschi, Grant, Benasich and Gaab, 2012). With more increase in the use of fMRI and MRI with infants and young children it can also add more understanding to drain development within a specific age …show more content…
Some techniques that are used for imaging young children includes “play therapy, behavioral training, and simulation, the use of mock scanner areas, basic relaxation, and a combination of techniques”. For example, “an adventure story can motivate the child to finish all of the task requested” in addition to a short story can also be useful to lead into a neuroimaging session. Techniques that are used on infants are “natural sleep technique and the feed and wrap procedure”. If an infant becomes awoke during an MRI session at that time the team whose performing the MRI must immediately stop until the infant is falls back