Clinical applications of fMRI

The understanding of the brain mechanisms of psychiatric and neurological disorders is a central concern of clinicians. In the present chapter, we will present the clinical applications of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in symptom mapping and the monitoring of disease courses and treatment effects. We will focus on epilepsy, anxiety and stress-related disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, pain, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and disorders of consciousness, as well as transdiagnostic mechanisms of symptoms such as hallucinations. We discuss functional correlates of pharmacological, psychological, rehabilitation and neuromodulation treatments. To conclude we provide examples of treatment research protocols based on real-time processing of fMRI signals (neurofeedback) and discuss the integration of fMRI with other imaging modalities.