4. Conclusion

Since its inception, MRI has evolved rapidly and extensively, enabling us to visualize many features of the human brain in vivo. As described above, MRI enables the observation of cerebral soft tissues, the vascular system and all major nerve fiber bundles, as well as (not described in this article) the chemical spectrum (spectroscopic MRI) or blood flow related to brain activity (functional MRI). The development of MRI is intrinsically linked to that of information technology, primarily in terms of image reconstruction and visualization. MRI has become an essential modality for studying the brain, thanks to computerized image processing and analysis methods that enable us to extract from these data information relevant to the study of brain function.

Numerous software tools are now freely available on the Internet (see the "Software tools" section of "Find out...