Two central objectives of neurological research are the isolation and measurement of cerebral neurological activity. The collection of neural activation data is inherently challenging, as researchers are limited to relatively noninvasive procedures on live patients. Fortunately, the current research paradigm is able to estimate brain activity by isolating and measuring areas of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Although it may seem counterintuitive to measure rCBF as a means to infer neural activity, the data behind this research paradigm are well founded on empirical science. This entry describes the relationship between neural activity and rCBF and details two popular methodologies that researchers use to infer neural activity from rCBF measurements.

The Relationship Between Neural Activity and rCBF

When one specific brain region has an increase in neural ...

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