Functional neuroradiology of psychiatric diseases

Abstract

Functional neuroimaging offers a unique view of the link between brain activity and behavior – a relationship at the root of modern psychiatry. As a result, the application of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to neuropsychiatric disorders began in earnest almost immediately after the technique was first described. As the complexity of the functional architecture of the brain has become more evident, attention has shifted from identifying centers of abnormal activation to characterizing abnormal networks, with increasing use being made of functional connectivity techniques [1]. The analysis of resting-state networks has also flourished, partly because it may sidestep a persistent challenge in the use of BOLD-fMRI in neuropsychiatric disease: selection of a paradigm that is appropriate for the clinical features of each type of mental illness. In the remainder of this chapter, recent trends in the application of functional neuroimaging to selected neuropsychiatric disorders are illustrated.