Functional MRI in epilepsy

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows the visualization of localized brain activation. Localized MR contrast changes associated with sensory-motor or cognitive brain functions are expressed as activation maps and projected onto structural MRI. In patients with epilepsy, fMRI promises to delineate epileptogenic lesions from eloquent cortex. The future clinical use of this method depends highly on its ability to predict postoperative morbidity. Recent fMRI studies on the localization of the motor strip and the lateralization of language and memory are discussed.