Busy neurons don’t always draw blood

Mouse study suggests caution in interpreting functional MRI results

GO WITH THE FLOW  Functional MRI scans use blood flow (colors represent changes in blood flow) to indicate nerve cell behavior, but those two things aren’t always coupled, a new study finds. 

K. Roberts et al/BMC Anesthesiol. 2008/Open-I (CC BY 2.0) 

A mainstay of many neuroscience labs, functional MRI relies on blood flow changes in the brain to serve as proxies for active nerve cells.