Two different methods have been used to identify the regions involved in visual perception and visual imagery. First, [[functional magnetic resonance imaging]] (fMRI) is used to measure [[cerebral blood flow]], which allows researchers to identify the amount of glucose and oxygen being consumed by a specific part of the brain, with an increase in blood flow providing a measure of brain activity. Second, an [[event-related potential]] (ERP) can be used to show the amount of electrical brain activity that is occurring due to a particular stimulus. Researchers have used both methods to determine which areas of the brain are active with different stimuli, and results have supported the dual-coding theory. Other research has been done with [[positron emission tomography]] (PET) scans and fMRI to show that participants had improved memory for spoken words and sentences when paired with an image, imagined or real. Those participants also showed an increase in brain activation that processes abstract words not easily paired with an image.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Crosson|first1=Bruce|last2=Ford|first2=Anastasia|last3=McGregor|first3=Keith M.|last4=Meinzer|first4=Marcus|last5=Cheshkov|first5=Sergey|last6=Li|first6=Xiufeng|last7=Walker-Batson|first7=Delaina|last8=Briggs|first8=Richard W.|date=2010|title=Functional imaging and related techniques: An introduction for rehabilitation researchers|journal=The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development|volume=47|issue=2|pages=vii-xxxiv|doi=10.1682/jrrd.2010.02.0017|pmid=20593321|pmc=3225087|issn=0748-7711|doi-access=free}}</ref>
==Alternative theory==
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The [[common coding theory]] has also been proposed as an alternative to dual coding theory. The common coding theory looks at how things we see and hear are connected to our motor actions. It claims that there is a common code that is shared between perceiving something and the respective motor action.
