# Theoretical, Technical, and Analytical Foundations of Task-Based and Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)—A Narrative Review

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how task-based and resting-state fMRI work, comparing their methods and potential for brain mapping before surgery.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive narrative review comparing the theoretical and technical foundations of task-based and resting-state fMRI for presurgical brain mapping.

## Key findings

- Resting-state fMRI can reliably map brain networks even in patients with limited task compliance.
- Task-based fMRI remains limited in vulnerable populations due to reliance on patient cooperation.
- Methodological heterogeneity in rs-fMRI currently hinders its widespread clinical adoption.

## Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a valuable tool for presurgical brain mapping, traditionally implemented with task-based paradigms (tb-fMRI) that measure blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes during controlled motor or cognitive tasks. Tb-fMRI is a well-established tool for non-invasive localization of cortical eloquent areas, yet its dependence on patient cooperation and intact cognition limits use in individuals with aphasia, cognitive impairment, or in pediatric and other vulnerable populations. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) provides a task-free alternative by leveraging spontaneous low-frequency BOLD fluctuations to delineate intrinsic functional networks, including motor and language systems that show good spatial concordance with tb-fMRI and with direct cortical stimulation. This narrative review outlines the methodological foundations of tb-fMRI and rs-fMRI, comparing acquisition protocols, preprocessing and denoising pipelines, analytic approaches, and validation strategies relevant to presurgical planning. Particular emphasis is given to the technical and physiological foundations of BOLD imaging, statistical modeling, and the influence of motion, noise, and standardization on data reliability. Emerging evidence indicates that rs-fMRI can reliably expand mapping to patients with limited task compliance and may serve as a robust complementary modality in complex clinical contexts, though its methodological heterogeneity and absence of unified practice guidelines currently constrain widespread adoption. Future advances in harmonized preprocessing, multicenter validation, and integration with connectomics and machine learning frameworks are likely to be critical for translating rs-fMRI into routine, reliable presurgical workflows.