Spatial encoding assigns signal information to locations within the imaged subject, allowing anatomy and physiological changes to be represented in their correct positions. During guidance, these images can help relate an intended target to surrounding brain structures and provide visual information for positioning an instrument or treatment. This supports more direct targeting than relying only on indirect anatomical landmarks.
Structural maps show the location and organization of brain anatomy, whereas functional maps connect regions with physiological activity. Using both types of information can help distinguish where a target lies from how that region is functioning. In neuroscience, this combined context is valuable for planning interventions or studies that depend on both anatomical placement and functional relevance.
Near-real-time imaging allows visual information to be updated while a procedure or treatment is being planned, performed, or monitored. This gives investigators a way to compare the intended target with the observed anatomy or physiological changes as the work progresses. The approach can support adjustments based on current images rather than depending entirely on information obtained before the procedure.
A typical use begins by obtaining MRI information for planning and identifying the relevant brain region. The images are then used to guide an instrument, target a region, or track treatment during the procedure. Additional imaging can monitor anatomical or physiological changes afterward or during the intervention, linking the procedural steps with observed outcomes.
MRI guidance can support stereotactic interventions, brain stimulation, biopsy planning, and functional studies. In stereotactic work and biopsy planning, image-based anatomical information helps relate the procedure to a selected brain region. For stimulation and functional studies, structural and functional maps provide context for targeting or interpreting changes associated with the intervention or experimental task.
By linking procedural targeting to structural and functional brain maps, MRI guidance can reduce reliance on indirect landmarks. This may improve correspondence between the intended target and the subject’s observed anatomy, while imaging during or near the procedure can help monitor changes. The same framework also supports noninvasive assessment of outcomes when direct procedural observation is limited.