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Research progress of blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging of spinal cord in spinal cord diseases
GUO Xianglin  CHEN Nan 

Cite this article as: GUO X L, CHEN N. Research progress of blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging of spinal cord in spinal cord diseases[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2026, 17(4): 155-160, 191. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.04.022.


[Abstract] Spinal cord diseases have a high disability rate, and accurate evaluation of the functional activity of the spinal cord plays an important role in diagnosis and treatment. Conventional MRI of the spinal cord can evaluate macroscopic structural changes such as hemorrhage and edema, but it cannot reveal the integrity and plasticity of the functional network of the spinal cord, making it difficult to assess the function of the spinal cord. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a noninvasive MRI technique that indirectly reflects local neuronal activity in specific task states and resting states through blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals, and it can be used to quantify the functional reorganization in diseases or specific states, and is valuable for the early diagnosis, progression prediction, and efficacy assessment of spinal cord lesions. Currently, spinal cord fMRI faces significant challenges limited by motion artifacts, low signal-to-noise ratio, and insufficient spatial resolution. However, advances in magnetic resonance imaging scanners, pulse sequences, and post-processing techniques are progressively promoting its clinical translation. This paper reviews the applications of spinal cord fMRI in spinal cord diseases, addresses the limitations of current research, and proposes future directions, aiming to provide a reference for its clinical application and further development.
[Keywords] spinal cord；spinal cord disease；spinal cord injury；magnetic resonance imaging；functional magnetic resonance imaging；clinical applications

GUO Xianglin1, 2   CHEN Nan1, 2*  

1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China

2 Beijing Key Lab of MRI and Brain Informatics, Beijing 100053, China

Corresponding author: CHEN N, E-mail: chenzen8057@sina.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-12-17
Accepted  2026-04-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.04.022
Cite this article as: GUO X L, CHEN N. Research progress of blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging of spinal cord in spinal cord diseases[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2026, 17(4): 155-160, 191. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.04.022.

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