Summer Course 2026: 19 Challenges, Mysteries, and Controversies of fMRI by Peter Bandettini

Join Dr. Peter Bandettini in this captivating lecture as he explores the forces that propel the field of functional MRI (fMRI) forward: its controversies, mysteries, and challenges. This talk provides a deep dive into the history and future of fMRI, arguing that the field's progress is driven by tackling its most difficult questions. In this lecture, you'll learn about: The Four Pillars of fMRI: Understand the core components that make up fMRI research, from hardware and pulse sequences to signal interpretation and processing. Major Advances & Timeline: Journey through the key milestones in fMRI's history, from its inception in the early 90s to the modern challenges of big data and multimodal integration. Famous Controversies: Discover the stories behind headline-grabbing debates like the "dead salmon" experiment, the "clustering conundrum," and the ongoing discussion about statistical power and reproducibility. Dr. Bandettini explains what these controversies were actually about and how they ultimately strengthened the field. Unsolved Mysteries: Delve into the fundamental questions that still puzzle researchers, such as the true purpose of the BOLD signal, the nature of resting-state networks, and how to differentiate between excitatory and inhibitory neural activity. Future Challenges: Get a glimpse of the next frontier for fMRI, including the immense potential and difficulty of layer fMRI, the push for clinical utility, and the need for better methods to handle the vast variability between individual brains. Whether you're a student, a researcher, or simply curious about neuroscience, this talk offers a unique, insider's perspective on one of the most powerful tools for understanding the human brain.