the observation and description of the living brain
has attracted a lot of research over the past centuries.
Many noninvasive imaging modalities have
been developed, such as topographical techniques
based on the electromagnetic field potential [i.e.,
electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography
(MEG)], and tomography approaches including positron emission
tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here
we will focus on functional MRI (fMRI) since it is widely
deployed for clinical and cognitive neurosciences today, and it
can reveal brain function due to neurovascular coupling (see
“From Brain Images to fMRI Time Series”). It has led to a much
better understanding of brain function, including the description
of brain areas with very specialized functions such as face
recognition. These neuroscientific insights have been made possible
by important methodological advances in MR physics, signal
processing, and mathematical modeling.