Pharmacological applications of fMRI

Over the last few years, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has developed rapidly into a powerful means of investigating both the pharmacological effects of drugs on neuronal activity and, with the ability to make real-time measurements of specific behaviors and physiological processes, the correlation of those neuronal changes with changes in behavior and various markers of the internal milieu. This prospect of combining powerful, noninvasive brain imaging with careful behavioral, cognitive, and physiological monitoring holds tremendous opportunity for advancing not only our understanding of fundamental brain mechanisms, but also clinical applications such as diagnostic procedures, medications development, treatment matching, and outcomes prediction.