The “f” in the fMRI refers to “function.” This special kind of MRI will help psychologists, for example, to “watch the mind in action”—to understand what areas of the brain are most active when a person performs a mental task, whether learning or remembering something, or when feeling angry or happy, etc. The fMRI measures the flow of blood to various brain regions in a harmless, non-invasive way to reveal those parts of the brain that are active, or “at work.”

Subjects: The brain areas involved in learning and reward, decision making, perception and attention.

Additional topics: brain networks in post-traumatic stress syndrome, development of inhibition in children and adolescents, and neural mechanisms of depression.

MRI Imaging poses almost no risk to the average person when appropriate safety guidelines are followed. It is non-invasive and utilizes magnetic fields and radio waves (no X-rays). Although its strong magnetic field is not harmful in itself, implanted medical devices that contain metal may malfunction or cause problems during an fMRI exam.

The MRI allows faculty in many disciplines to examine the internal structure of materials and living things at an advanced level; it allows UD to compete and collaborate with research universities in the region that already have such capabilities. Functional MRI can potentially benefit the work of scholars in all of UD’s seven colleges. This initiative aligns well with priority recommendations in UD’s Delaware Will Shine strategic plan aimed at excellence in multidisciplinary research and scholarship.