[Functional magnetic resonance and neuropsychology: basic concepts]

Abstract

This paper describes the specific tasks of the neuropsychologist in a medical imaging department during the study of the relations between the brain and behavior. The neuropsychologist's role as a member of a multidisciplinary team centers on paradigm design (motor, visual, language, memory, etc.), supervising subjects' (patients' or controls') behavior during functional magnetic resonance acquisition, and interpreting the results. Thus, it is essential for the neuropsychologist to know the characteristics, possibilities, and limitations of the imaging technique as well as aspects directly related to neuropsychology, such as cognitive processes and their components. We also introduce some common concepts in functional magnetic resonance and review some of the paradigms that are most frequently employed in clinical concepts.