fMRI brain-computer interfaces

The brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) makes use of neurophysiological signals directly from the brain to activate or deactivate external devices or computers. Recently, the two imaging methods being used for the development of BCIs that is based on metabolic activity are the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the functional infrared spectroscopy. fMRI measures the task-induced blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) changes and allows simultaneous acquisition, analysis, and visualization of whole brain images. This fMRI even has the following advantages. It has fast data acquisition sequences, improved real-time preprocessing and statistical analysis algorithms, and improved methods of visualization of brain activation and feedback to the subject. In addition, fMRI-BCI provides a novel approach for studying brain plasticity and functional reorganization.