Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common chronic lung diseases, which is characterized by chronic irreversible airway obstruction. Chronic airflow restriction causes a decrease in oxygen supply to the brain, which inevitably leads to a series of changes in brain function and structure. In recent years, many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology has been applied to explore the brain function and structure of COPD. Resting-state functional MRI, voxel-based morphometry, and diffusion tensor imaging are reviewed in this article to discuss the recent research progress of brain function and structure imaging study in COPD.