Faster brain imaging technique seems to overcome limitations of current MRI scans
Research often proceeds in a logical progression, new studies building upon a detailed understanding of the underlying processes revealed by earlier work. But a new brain imaging technique that can directly track the activity of neurons emerged from one of academics’ favorite questions: “What would happen if we tried doing it this way?”
The research, published Thursday in Science, describes a technique that promises to overcome limitations of current imaging methods such as functional MRI (fMRI), which has been a mainstay of neuroscience research for three decades. By more precisely pinpointing neuronal activity in space and time, the technique could let scientists learn more about neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, the physiological processes underlying mental health disorders, and the workings of biological neural networks that inspired artificial neural nets.
