Requirements of functional imaging for future radiological systems

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been extended to image brain function which include imaging function at the microscopic level in order to create contrast based on the mobility of intracellular water, imaging blood perfusion in order to determine the pathological state of the tissues, the regulation of cellular metabolism, and the natural connectivity within the brain. Since the data collected is extremely large and has an impact on archiving systems, the bare minimum that is required to store in a radiological system for efficient diagnosis and retrieval is identified. The various issues in the different techniques for an efficient radiological system that incorporates functional magnetic resonance imaging are addressed.