Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, image processing apparatus, and image processing method

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• a functional image generating unit that generates a functional image from an examined subject who repeatedly executes a task with an intermission of a resting period;
• an image generation controlling unit that controls the functional image generating unit to generate a plurality of functional images along a time series by separating a plurality of magnetic resonance images that have been generated along the time series during a collecting period into image groups, each of which corresponds to a predetermined temporal phase and by performing a statistical process on each of the separated image groups, the collecting period being configured so that the resting period and a task-execution period during which the task is executed are repeated therein a plurality of times along the time series;
• and
• a display controlling unit that exercises control so that the plurality of functional images along the time series that have been generated under control of the image generation controlling unit are displayed by a display unit.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• a functional image generating unit that generates a functional image, which is a functional-diagnosis-purpose medical image, from a plurality of medical images that have been generated along a time series;
• an image generation controlling unit that controls the functional image generating unit to generate a plurality of functional images along the time series by separating the plurality of medical images that have been generated along the time series into image groups, each of which corresponds to a predetermined temporal phase and by performing a statistic process on each of the image groups resulting from the separation;
• and
• a display controlling unit that exercises control so that the plurality of functional images along the time series that have been generated under control of the image generation controlling unit are displayed by a display unit.

An image processing method comprising:

• generating a functional image, which is a functional-diagnosis-purpose magnetic resonance image, from a magnetic resonance image that has been generated by collecting a magnetic resonance signal from an examined subject who repeatedly executes a task with an intermission of a resting period;
• controlling the functional image generating unit to generate a plurality of functional images along a time series by separating a plurality of magnetic resonance images that have been generated along the time series during a collecting period into image groups, each of which corresponds to a predetermined temporal phase and by performing a statistic process on each of the image groups resulting from the separation, the collecting period being configured so that the resting period and a task-execution period during which the task is executed are repeated therein a plurality of times along the time series;
• and
• exercising control so that the plurality of functional images along the time series that have been generated under control of the image generation controlling unit are displayed by a display unit.

An image processing method comprising:

• generating a functional image, which is a functional-diagnosis-purpose medical image, from a plurality of medical images that have been generated along a time series;
• controlling the functional image generating unit to generate a plurality of functional images along the time series by separating the plurality of medical images that have been generated along the time series into image groups, each of which corresponds to a predetermined temporal phase and by performing a statistic process on each of the image groups resulting from the separation;
• and
• exercising control so that the plurality of functional images along the time series that have been generated under control of the image generation controlling unit are displayed by a display unit.