Which MRI image should you interpret your brain from?

[sserafim]

I got an MRI (without contrast) before because I was having eye pain and headaches. The radiologist said that the MRI was normal though. Someone on here mentioned the amygdala in suicidal ideation and the fear response, so I wanted to check my own and see what it looks like. I looked back at my report but I don't know which image should I use. There are so many of them

 

[would]

You most likely have images from a standard MRI. Brain activity is only visible via MRI when using functional MRI (fMRI).

 

[sserafim]

You most likely have images from a standard MRI. Brain activity is only visible via MRI when using functional MRI (fMRI).

Yeah I got a standard MRI. It was without contrast. Doesn't MRI show the structure though?

 

[would]

Yeah I got a standard MRI. It was without contrast. Doesn't MRI show the structure though?

It does show brain structure, but it will not have any information related to brain functioning. The amygdala fear response studies are all using fMRIs where subjects are shown specific images or frightening stimuli. From my understanding, these studies are not typically focused on brain structure but instead on brain activity determined via blood flow which is viewed by fMRI.

 

[Final_Choice]

An MRI alone won't be enough, I've done CT scans, a couple different MRIs and X-Rays and they don't look for what you're looking for. I think for brain activity you would need to do a study to measure different areas of your brain and how they respond to different stimuli and see if certain areas (like the amygdala) behave differently than if you were to do the same to someone who isn't suicidal that you could use as a control. I bet that there are research papers analyzing such brain activity, and they probably specify what types of examinations they must have used.