Can the brain scans diagnose neurological and psychiatric disorders?

There are no scientific tests to diagnose migraines, depression, bipolar disorder and many other ailments of the brain. Doctors generally determine such disorders based on self-reported symptoms and behavior.

Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI):

New theory shows that a type of brain scan called functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) -- which shows how brain regions interact can accurately detect fundamental differences in how brains are wired. This technique potentially could be used to distinguish healthy people from people with brain diseases, and give insight into variations in cognitive ability and individuality traits.

This is a step toward realizing the clinical promise of functional connectivity MRI. Before we can improve diagnostic tests based on fcMRI, we have to know what it is literally measuring our organised brain. This leads to an entirely new field of clinical testing.

Procedure for fcMRI scans:

Analysis of a set of data collected from undergoing myriad scans in an MRI machine. The researchers analyzed data from more than 10 hours of fcMRI scans on every 9 people, collected in 10 distinct one-hour sessions for every person. In the time of scans, every person performed tasks related to vision, memory, reading or motor skills, or simply rested.

Functional MRI scans produce a dynamic map of the outer surface of the brain, showing change in hot spots of activity over different durations. To form a functional connectivity map, the surface of the brain is divided into 333 different regions and identified areas that became active and inactive in simultaneously. Brain network maps are then constructed for every person, showing patterns of connection between parts of the brain.

The abundant of data available on every person allows easy analysis of how much an individual's brain networks changes from day to day and with various mental tasks. Brain networks caught by fcMRI are really about the individual i.e., whether someone's watching a movie or thinking about their breakfast or moving their hands makes only a small difference. We can still identify that individual by their brain networks with a glance.

Disadvantages:

The stability of the fcMRI scans makes them a good diagnostic tool. Even though the technique's potential to identify brain disorders and diseases was identified years ago fcMRI-based diagnostic trials are yet to make their way into doctors' offices. Progress has been inhibited by confusion over whether the scans reflect fundamental, stable features of the brain, or if they change with all passing thoughts.

Moreover, the researchers found that this technique was powerful enough to distinguish people who were extraordinarily the same. All of the scanned brains belonged to young, healthy scientists and doctors. More data is needed before we can know what normal variation in the population at large is. But the individual differences are simple to pick up, even in a population that is really very similar. It's provoking to think that these individual differences could be related to personality, cognitive ability, or psychiatric or neurological disorder.

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