Health Tips from a Mother of Three

3 Cool Neurological Imaging Facts You Should Know

Whether you have frequent headaches, visual issues, or other problems, there is a chance that your doctor will recommend that you get a brain MRI. This close-up view of what is going on inside of your cranial activity is also sometimes referred to is neurological imaging. Getting an MRI of your brain gives you an inner look at part of your body that you would otherwise not get to see, which is pretty cool in itself. However, there are some other interesting things you should know about neurological imaging if you are getting an MRI of your brain, such as:

Using certain stimulants can give radiologist a look at brain activity. 

In an MRI scanner, brain activity can actually be measured changes in blood flow to a certain area or parts of the brain. Therefore, if you volunteer for some kind of medical study involving the brain, don't be surprised if contrasting stimulant agents are injected during the procedure. Capsaicin is an example of a stimulant that causes blood flow reactions in the brain that can be measured by the changing color hues during the MRI in different brain regions. This cool effect helps researchers and radiologist measure how your brain reacts to certain stimulations during specific activities. 

Your brain MRI scans are a pretty cool thing to keep. 

For the most part, the normal patient will not keep their medical records around the house. However, if you do get an MRI done of your brain, make sure you get a copy to have around. These MRI scans can be interesting to examine since everyone's brain is a little different in shape and size. Plus, having your brain MRI means you can do things like getting a 3-D printed version to keep on a shelf to show off or pass around. Because your MRI scans are your medical records, you do have a right to request a copy from the provider. 

A brain MRI can be used to create movie maps of brain reactions. 

If you've ever seen a film or video showing you a 3-D model of a human head with different areas of the brain lighting up during specific tasks, you've experienced a form of brain mapping. Brain mapping is accomplished using an MRI machine that records the brain and sends data back to a secondary system that creates the illuminated brain map. So simple tasks like thinking about something scary or envisioning someone you love can create reactions in the brain that can be recorded and converted to a digital 3-D image. 

Contact a company like Kenai Peninsula Imaging Center, LLC for more information and assistance. 


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