WIRED Staff
Science

Voyages Beneath the Skull

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Magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanners work by measuring the magnetic field produced by the brain. While MEG scans don't do a good job of deciphering the geography of the brain, they can easily detect instantaneous changes in brain activity, allowing scientists to track changes that happen in milliseconds.Photo source: University of Connecticut
Computed tomography scanners are essentially fancy Xray machines. They create useful images of the brain's geography...

Computed tomography (CT) scanners are essentially fancy X-ray machines. They create useful images of the brain's geography, but they can't tell scientists what any parts of the brain are doing at a specific moment.

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Photo source: University of Windsor
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Photo source: National Society for Epilepsy (U.K.)
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Photo source: University of Wisconsin
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Photo source: University of Vermont
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Photo source: 4-D Neuroimaging