POSSIBLE CLINICAL APPLICATION OF RESTING-STATE fMRI IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

Abstract

Functional brain imagings studies have shown brain regions having greater neural activity during an experimental task than during rest or sensory-motor task with reduced cognitive demand. Based upon this hypothesis that supports the idea of “default mode of brain function" recent studies have focused on brain regions in which neuronal activity is greater during resting-state than during an experimental task with cognitive demand. Recent Studies have showed that resting-state connectivity is crucial for cognitive performance. To detect dysfunctional connectivity and activity in various resting-state networks in brain that has been suggested to be underlying pathophysiology of some neuropsychiatric disorders, resting-state fMRI could be considered as a relatively novel and beneficial tool for diagnosis of these disorders. In this article, brain resting-state networks are briefly introduced for better understanding of possible clinical applications of resting-state fMRI in diagnosis and early detection of some neuropsychiatric diseases that have been studied in recent years.

Keywords: Neuropsychiatric disorder, resting-state fMRI, cognitive impairment, and functional connectivity