The program, whose development was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, is called LOFA for localization of functional activity. It eases the interpretation of functional magnetic resonance images scans that identify changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain as a person performs specific tasks. We ve been able to determine the precise locations of brain structures involved in language initiation. In the long run, that kind of knowledge should help us design better strategies for rehabilitation following brain injury or disease. Mohr, a doctoral student in UF s medical physics program in the nuclear and radiological engineering department, said a tool like LOFA is needed because researchers are now exploring much more subtle questions than in the past.
Scientists know that.
Now we re asking questions about the connectivity of the brain and trying to find out the anatomic structures that correlate with functions. For that, we need to be very precise and LOFA helps us do that. During the past few years, fMRI has become an increasingly popular research tool, as scientists worldwide seek a better understanding of what the brain is doing as it processes information, thinks and controls movement. Standard MRI scans provide a look at the physical structure of the brain. In contrast, fMRI scans show areas of brain activity, which can be overlaid on anatomical pictures to map where the activity is occurring.