We normally think of MRI brain scans as being used for medical situations requiring immediate attention to the brain. If you are having symptoms that suggest that you might have a brain tumor (obviously a highly serious condition) then your doctor might recommend checking it out with a brain scan. Likewise, brain scans may be used to detect strokes and determine treatment for them.
However, brain scans are also used in a wide range of medical studies that provide information about all sorts of different medical issues. These may not be immediate problems that require that you look at an individual's brain. However, using brain scans to review the brains of individuals affected by a certain problem can provide insight into ways to diagnose, prevent and treat a variety of medical conditions.
For example, brain scans may be used to study a population such as those people suffering from anorexia. A recent study of this nature revealed information about the anorexic brain which showed that these people can't tell the difference between winning and losing. This information can greatly assist in the treatment of a widespread problem such as anorexia. (Learn more here.)
Question of the Day: Do you think brain scans are used more often to treat individuals or to study conditions?
