Imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and functional MRI (fMRI) have revolutionized brain research and medical practice. These methods allow for visualization of the structure or activity of the brain, thereby providing information about and understanding of the brain. Many people interpret the visualizations produced by imaging techniques as straightforward pictures of real brain structures or activity. In reality, however, things are more complicated: the various types of brain imaging techniques rely on theoretical assumptions as well as complex technological and statistical methods, and interpreting the visualizations is not as unambiguous as it appears at first sight. Accordingly, the use of these techniques raises important philosophical questions regarding the nature of scientific observation, interpretation, and understanding. The project’s overall aim is to develop a comprehensive philosophical account of the nature and limits of understanding the brain by using imaging techniques. To achieve this aim the PhD candidate addresses, in collaboration with philosophers and scientific/medical experts, three key issues: (1) What kind of visual models of the brain are produced by imaging techniques? (2) What is the relation between visualization and scientific understanding? (3) Which values play a role in the scientific and medical practices of brain imaging? The results of the project are expected to illuminate the status, function and understanding of brain imaging in scientific and medical practice. The project will not only advance current debates in philosophy of science, but will also be relevant for neuroscientists and medical practitioners.