Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults frequently evidence both neurocognitive and psychiatric dysfunction. It was hypothesized that apathy and irritability, but not anxiety and depression, are related to HIV effects on frontal–subcortical systems. This hypothesis was evaluated by determining the degree to which these psychiatric features are associated with neurocognitive functioning that is dependent upon frontal–subcortical circuitry and, therefore, thought to be sensitive to the central nervous system effects of HIV. Rating scales assessing irritability, apathy, depression, and anxiety and a dual-task paradigm were administered to 189 HIV-seropositive (HIV+) and 53 HIV-seronegative participants. Deficits in dual-task performance and greater anxiety, depression, apathy, and irritability were observed in HIV+ participants. Simultaneous multivariate regression and communality analyses revealed that only apathy and irritability were associated with dual-task performance in HIV+ participants. Thus, these findings suggest that apathy and irritability, but not depression and anxiety, are likely associated with the effects of HIV on frontal–subcortical circuitry. (JINS, 2007, 13, 549–554.)

Autism: A Neurological Disorder of Early Brain Development. Roberto Tuchman and Isabelle Rapin (Eds.). 2006. London, England: Mac Keith Press for the International Child Neurology Association, 354 pp., $115.00/£65.00.

Historically, the need or drive to connect to other humans is absent from the instincts that Freud considered fundamental to all humans, and from the work of Charles Darwin (1965), who heavily influenced Freud. Despite the fact that Darwin's last major publication focused on the expression of emotion in humans and animals, neither major theorist, both critical to the development of psychology, gave a place in their theories to the desire to connect to others. Yet new research consistently points to a desire for social connection in all of us and in our closest relatives on the evolutionary chain. When social relatedness is impaired, the results are devastating, and nowhere is this devastation more apparent than in a child with autism, the subject of this multi-authored volume.

An Introduction to the Event-Related Potential Technique (Cognitive Neuroscience), by Steven J. Luck. 2006. Cambridge, MA: Bradford/MIT Press, 376 pp., $40.00 (PB)

The dramatic increased interest in event-related potential (ERP) techniques in recent years has been very gratifying in light of concerns a few years ago that this approach to studying brain function would be eclipsed by developments in other areas of functional neuroimaging (e.g., PET, fMRI) that have better spatial resolution. Instead, there has been increasing recognition that the study of event-related electrical potentials and neuromagnetic responses remains a critical complements to “hemodynamic” approaches, in part because they provide a millisecond-by-millisecond record of neural information processing that occurs between presentation of a discrete stimulus and the production of the motor response. This exquisite temporal resolution cannot be matched by techniques such as PET or fMRI. Moreover, ERPs provide a more direct index of neural activity related to stimulus events than procedures dependent on the coupling of brain activity with cerebral blood flow. The instrumentation is comparatively low cost for setup and maintenance and potentially portable so studies can be obtained in a variety of settings. In this context, this engagingly written Introduction to the Event-Related Potential Technique by Steven J. Luck represents an important and long overdue entry-level book to provide practical and concise information about ERP theory and methods.

Brain Injury Treatment: Theories and Practices. José León-Carrión, Klaus R.H. von Wild, & George A. Zitnay (Eds.) 2006. New York, New York: Taylor & Francis, 581 pp., $125.00 (HB).

Brain Injury Treatment: Theories and Practices is an edited volume that provides the reader with a thorough overview of a broad range of approaches regarding the medical and psychological treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Its uniqueness lies in two of its characteristics. It is international in its scope, presenting state-of-the-art methods used in various countries with a strong tradition in TBI treatment. It is also highly interdisciplinary, because the editors have brought together specialists from various fields, each with a chapter relevant to their particular area of expertise. These range from emergency medical services to integrating TBI survivors back into the work place. Despite the breadth of topics covered in this book, most chapters provide quite specific and detailed information, generally including background information for non-specialists plus a description of specific guidelines or criteria for the particular interventions. Therefore, this volume is a worthwhile guide for any professional or researcher working with TBI survivors.