The imaging technique is used in research to investigate interactions between different brain regions. However, this is done only indirectly, as the fMRI do not control this neuronal activity, but recognizes the most active areas of the brain based on their blood circulation.Some researchers have criticized this indirect evidence, attributing a limited value of this technique in research of cognitive brain involving human subjects.
 
In a recent study in which the fMRI was used, Dr. Mark Siegel and his team (Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience - CIN / MEG Centre, University of Tübingen) were able to show that measured interactions between brain regions actually correlate with the nerve cell activity.

Therefore, Dr. Siegel and his team compared the fMRI measurements of subjects with their magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements. In contrast to fMRI, the MEG measures the nerve cell activity in the brain directly - it registers the very small magnetic fields caused by brain´s activity.

Thus, the method of fMRI will be even more attractive for neuroscience research, it is said in a press release.

The results were published in the renowned journal "Current Biology".

Joerg F. Hipp, Markus Siegel: BOLD fMRI Correlation Reflects Frequency-Specific Neuronal Correlation. Current Biology (2015) 18 May 2015 (online publication) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.03.049

Source: http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/medizintechnik/ein-anderer-blickwinkel-ins-gehirn.html