Neuroimaging refers to a variety of techniques used to make pictures of the
Central Nervous System. There are two general types of neuroimaging:
functional neuroimaging and
structural neuroimaging.
Functional Neuroimaging:
Functional neuroimaging is used to find out what areas of the brain are active at a particular time. It is usually combined with a particular task. For example, a neuroscientist studying language development in children might use a functional neuroimaging technique to find out which neurons respond to a particular language sound.
Functional neuroimaging techniques:
Structural Neuroimaging:
Structural neuroimaging is used to look at the structure of the brain. It is often used to locate tumors and areas involved in brain damage.
Structural neuroimaging techniques:
Sometimes functional and structural neuroimages will be overlapped to assist in their interpretation.