Pediatric applications of fMRI

Abstract

Functional MRI has become an important pillar in the evaluation of children's brain function. Its relevance in pediatric clinical and research is evident by the hundreds of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. We review the differences between fMRI in adults and children, with an emphasis on the technical challenges that the technique poses in noncooperative children. We also review the state of the art of fMR clinical applications with special attention to its role in surgical planning, and relevant cognitive pediatric conditions. A review of pharmacology-fMR and rest-state fMRI in children is presented as the authors stress the importance of these two new branches of fMRI. We share as well our experience based on more than 300 cases and 1,000 procedures of pediatric fMRI.