Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is usually recently developing as imaging modality used for mapping hemodynamics of neuronal and motor event related tissue blood oxygen level dependence (Strong) in terms of brain activation. given moment in the brain as a whole. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was introduced to map the changes in brain local blood flow and oxygenation or hemodynamics that correspond to regional neuronal activity of brain accompanying metabolic events. It extended brain anatomical imaging to map structures and specific function of human brain. High resolution, noninvasive neural activity by a blood oxygen level dependent signal has huge potentials for assessing the neurological status Trimetrexate supplier and neurosurgical risk [1-4]. Later fMRI applications extended the understanding of neuronal and motor activities associated with different brain regional functions. Presently, fMRI serves as non-invasive imaging of neurophysiological activities of brain that depend more on physiological characteristics of Trimetrexate supplier brain. The paper reviews the physiological basis of fMRI signal origin and contrast mechanisms with state-of-art fMRI segmentation and registration algorithms to RLC identify cortical visual response and event related cortical areas associated with neurophysiological measurements and potential image post-processing directions in future. Review The physiological basis of fMRI BasicsNeurovascular and neurometabolic coupling establishes Trimetrexate supplier the crucial link between a focal change in neuronal activity and MRI-detectable observations. In fact, all task performances such as arousal, attention, alertness, adaptation, sleep, or consciousness that affect the vascular hemodynamics do interfere with oxygenation-sensitive mapping by fMRI techniques. Historically, these observations initially were supported by reports on local reduction in deoxyhemoglobin due to increased blood flow without change in oxygen extraction [5]. Trimetrexate supplier Deoxyhemoglobin acts as paramagnetic endogenous contrast agent and alters the T2* weighted magnetic resonance image signal [6-9] and serves as the source of the signal for fMRI. Last decade was an enjoyment for clinical application of 1 1.5 T-7.0 T clinical scanners to observe functional activity of visual cortex [12-16], the motor cortex [18-21] and Broca’s area of speech and language-related activities [20,21]. fMRI and conventional neurophysiological techniques have been in use to localize the specific functions of the human brain [22-27]. Increased neuronal activity needs the metabolic support. For that, blood flow provides the substrates. Still there is paucity in information of metabolic requirements and hemodynamic response in different brain functions. Recent pattern was focused on identification of brain regions involved with characteristic oxygenation-sensitive MRI response function. The visual response function The oxygen concentration in brain serves as a tool to map cortical regions responsible for performing various cognitive tasks because oxygenation level in active cortex changes between baseline and tasking conditions i.e. pattered lights protocols affect the spatiotemporal response and characteristics in the visual system. These visual stimulations generate the signal rise due to differences between tonic and phasic MRI hemodynamic responses after the onset of activation i.e. rapid rise in BOLD response due to rapid increase in the blood flow or enhanced oxygen delivery / oxygen Trimetrexate supplier consumption. Recently, the delayed upregulation of oxidative glucose consumption in brain and a slow venous blood volume (balloon model) suggested them as two processes. These were relevant for fMRI mapping studies with shorter protocol timings [28]. The link between neuronal activity and blood flow characteristics forms the basis for functional mapping using fMRI. These characteristics such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral volume (CBV), metabolic regional oxygen (CMRO2), and BOLD signal form an interconnected set of quantities that are coupled during normal brain activation. Tissue oxygen and framework for BOLD Signal fMRI images can be made sensitive to local oxygen concentrations in tissue. BOLD signal derives from the local concentration of deoxygenated hemoglobin that is modulated by several factors. The generator of this paramagnetic contrast agent is oxygen metabolism (CMRO2). Blood oxygenation and blood magnetization both depend upon the balance of.