Functional MRI detects changes in blood oxygenation associated with neural activity, producing maps of brain regions active during tasks or at rest. It is established in research and clinical planning contexts.
Its application to individual injury or pain assessment is scientifically contested.
Alternative Names:
fMRI, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Why it Matters?
fMRI appears in traumatic brain injury and chronic pain litigation as claimed objective proof of a subjective condition, and admissibility is heavily contested. The defense argument is that group-level research findings do not support individual diagnosis, that no validated normative database exists for the litigation application, and that the technique cannot distinguish genuine from exaggerated responses. Courts have divided, with several excluding it under Daubert.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Is fMRI admissible to prove brain injury?
What is the principal defense objection?
