Preface

Summary

“Unprecedented”, “revolutionary”, “extraordinary” are terms commonly used to describe the promise that the emergence of functional neuroimaging techniques presents for neuroscience. Indeed, until recently, the possibilities that such techniques now provide for the advancement of knowledge fell within the realm of “neuroscience fiction”.

Many recent books have been dedicated to various facets of neuroimaging. This volume is unique in its focus on children, as well as in its effort to encompass the fields of genetics and neuropsychology the interface of which with neuroimaging will soon become the state of the art in neuroimaging research. This book is addressed to clinicians and investigators. Clinicians will learn about the basic principles, advantages, and disadvantages of neuroimaging techniques and the advances made in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying childhood psychiatric disorders through neuroimaging research. Investigators may rely on this volume as a reference book to aid them in (i) deciding which technique is most appropriate for a given research question, (ii) evaluating the ethical issues raised by the involvement of children in research in order to weigh them in reference to the progress that has been made in understanding certain childhood psychiatric disorders through the use of neuroimaging, and (iii) considering how the fields of molecular genetics and neuropsychology can be exploited in planning for a brain imaging study.

The book is divided into five sections. Part 1 is dedicated to the description and future potential of the various functional imaging techniques currently used to study the human brain.