Long description

This is a composite of two images, showing an fMRI scanner and some examples of fMRI scans. Image (a) is a photograph in which a patient is about to enter a medical scanner. The patient is lying on a medical bench which is part of a large white machine with a tunnel at his head. His head is held in place by a frame. Two medical researchers are standing next to him. Image (b) shows two images taken by an fMRI scan. Both are greyscale images of brain tissue but with some regions of red and orange superimposed on top, indicating increased brain activity in these regions. The image on the left is a side view of a human brain inside a head, looking to the left. Structures in the centre of the brain are visible, including the convoluted surface of the cerebrum and cerebellum, the brain stem and corpus callosum. The skull surrounding the brain, and bones and soft tissue of the face can also be identified. The image on the right shows an external view of brain taken from the rear. Only the external features of the brain can be viewed in this image, in particular, the ridges and grooves of the cerebral cortex. In both images, there is a region at the back of the cerebrum in the occipital lobe which appears red and orange.