This thesis presentation discusses using machine learning techniques like recursive feature elimination (RFE) to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. RFE was used to classify fMRI data from two datasets - StarPlus and Probid - into cognitive states and reduce features/voxels. Classification accuracy improved with increased RFE levels as irrelevant features were removed. Time stamp and region of interest analyses identified the most discriminative voxels. However, across subject classification using 7 ROIs did not achieve high accuracy, indicating the need for further feature reduction.