Functional MRI News and Research

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Understanding how the human brain responds to persuasive messages

An analysis of brain scans from 572 people reveals that activity in brain regions linked to reward and social processing can predict how effective messages will be.

4 Nov 2025

RIKEN scientists reveal connection between deep sleep and brain fluid dynamics

Researchers led by Masako Tamaki at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan report a link between deep sleep and cerebrospinal fluid, the clear liquid that surrounds and supports the brain and spinal cord.

16 Oct 2025

PTSD following sexual assault linked to profound fronto-limbic brain changes

Around 70% of women who suffer a sexual assault develop PTSD; now scientists have shown that many of these women show a marked reduction in the usual communication between two important brain areas involved in processing and control of emotions, the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex.

13 Oct 2025

Maternal PFAS levels can predict children's brain structural and functional outcomes

Researchers from the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland, and örebro University, Sweden, have discovered that the levels of PFAS in mothers' blood during pregnancy is associated with their children's brain structure and function.

13 Oct 2025

Multiple aspects of sleep linked to individual variation in health, cognition, and lifestyle

Researchers led by Aurore Perrault at Concordia University, Canada and Valeria Kebets at McGill University, Canada, have used a complex data-driven analysis to uncover relationships among multiple aspects of sleep and individual variation in health, cognition, and lifestyle.

7 Oct 2025

Study shows the brain’s body map remains stable after limb loss

New research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Cambridge University upends a long-standing belief about brain plasticity.

21 Aug 2025

Brain aging may be slower and more layered than previously thought

The human brain ages less than thought and in layers – at least in the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for the sense of touch.

11 Aug 2025

Genetic risk for depression linked to muted brain response to wins and losses

Novel imaging research indicates that young adults with a higher genetic risk for depression showed less brain activity in several areas when responding to rewards and punishments. The study also uncovered notable differences between men and women.

1 Aug 2025

Harvard researchers uncover how the brain directs blood flow in real time

All day long, our brains carry out complicated and energy-intensive tasks such as remembering, solving problems, and making decisions.

16 Jul 2025

New MRI technology reveals brain metabolism in unprecedented detail

A new technology that uses clinical MRI machines to image metabolic activity in the brain could give researchers and clinicians unique insight into brain function and disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.

2 Jul 2025

Exploring neural responses to mental exhaustion in healthy adults

In experiments with healthy volunteers undergoing functional MRI imaging, scientists have found increased activity in two areas of the brain that work together to react to, and possibly regulate, the brain when it's "feeling" tired and either quits or continues exerting mental effort.

27 Jun 2025

Brain activity reveals lingering sensitivity to negative cues after depression recovery

Researchers have found that even after recovery, individuals who previously experienced depression may retain a heightened sensitivity to negative cues and face challenges in regulating responses to potential punishment.

27 Jun 2025

Psilocybin rewires the brain for weeks, study finds

Psilocybin induces consistent and sustained changes in brain network connectivity, particularly between the hippocampus and default mode network, as shown using high-resolution fMRI in healthy adults. These neural effects, distinct from those produced by methylphenidate, may underlie the drug’s psychological benefits and were reproducible within individuals over time.

10 Jun 2025

Brain state-driven neural stimulation improves cognitive flexibility and relieves autistic behaviors

Some autistic traits related to challenges with social interaction, mental flexibility and visual perception could be alleviated through a new, noninvasive therapy.

9 Jun 2025

Krakencoder reveals neural connections behind brain function

Using an algorithm they call the Krakencoder, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine are a step closer to unraveling how the brain's wiring supports the way we think and act.

5 Jun 2025

New brain imaging method shows promise for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

An international team, led by researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation (CF), has shown – for the first time in a realistic way – that it may be possible to diagnose Parkinson's disease (PD) years before it becomes untreatable, by scanning people's brains with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

8 May 2025

Monitoring Type 2 Diabetes progression using ultrasound localization microscopy

A research paper by scientists at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine presented the application of Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) for monitoring the progression of Type 2 Diabetes and assessing the efficacy of anti-cytokine immunotherapy.

10 Apr 2025