Over the past two decades researchers and clinicians in the
neurosciences have witnessed a literal information explosion in the area
of brain imaging and neuropsychological functioning. Until recently we
could not view the nervous system except through the use of invasive
procedures. Today, a variety of imaging techniques are available, but
this technology has advanced so rapidly that it has been difficult for
new information to be consolidated into a single source. The goal of
this volume is to present information on technological advances along
with current standards and techniques in the area of brain imaging and
neuropsychological functioning. The quality of brain imaging techniques
has improved dramatically. In 1975 one had to be content with a brain
image that only offered a gross distinction between ventricular
cavities, brain, and bone tissue. Current imaging techniques offer
considerable precision and approximate gross neuroanatomy to such an
extent that differentiation between brain nuclei, pathways, and white-
gray matter is possible. These technological advances have progressed so
rapidly that basic and clinical research have lagged behind. It is not
uncommon, particularly in longitudinal research, for the technical meth-
odology of a study to become obsolete while that study is still in
progress. This has hampered certain aspects of systematic research and
has also produced the need for a textbook that could address
contemporary issues in brain imaging and neuropsychology.