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fMRI of the Sensorimotor System

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fMRI: From Nuclear Spins to Brain Functions

Part of the book series: Biological Magnetic Resonance ((BIMR,volume 30))

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on a key characteristic of the somatosensory as well as the motor system, that is, its somatotopic organization. The good spatial resolution of functional MRI (fMRI) as compared to previous functional neuroimaging approaches such as positron emission tomography has allowed noninvasive studies at hitherto unknown spatio-anatomical precision. While early fMRI studies mostly were confirmatory of previously known features of sensorimotor organization, recent studies are shaping a new concept of cortical representations. Besides the somatotopic arrangement, they also take into account the pronounced overlap of body representations, that is, its network characters, particularly for functional units such as the hand. In addition to elucidating general features of sensorimotor neurophysiology, fMRI is ideally suited for identifying individual neuroplasticity. It allows to monitor the cerebral effects of learning processes, such as learning to play an instrument, but also the reaction to pathological events such as peripheral and central lesions to the nervous system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, PO Box 500355, 04303, Leipzig, Germany

    Prof. Dr. med. Arno Villringer

  2. Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Prof. Dr. med. Arno Villringer

  3. Mind & Brain Institute and Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Charité and Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany

    Prof. Dr. med. Arno Villringer

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  1. Prof. Dr. med. Arno Villringer
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Correspondence to Arno Villringer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Kamil Uludag

  2. University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Kamil Ugurbil

  3. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Lawrence Berliner

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Villringer, A. (2015). fMRI of the Sensorimotor System. In: Uludag, K., Ugurbil, K., Berliner, L. (eds) fMRI: From Nuclear Spins to Brain Functions. Biological Magnetic Resonance, vol 30. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7591-1_17

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