Developmental Neuroimaging - Mapping the Development of Brain and Behavior

Written by renowned neuroscientists and experts in the field of neuroimaging, this is the first book ever published on the topic of developmental neuroimaging. It relates the application of recent and exciting discoveries in structural and functional neuroimaging to the field of human brain development. Recent advancements in neuroimaging, such as functional MRI and large channel EEG, now provide noninvasive methods to visualize the development of perceptual and cognitive functioning. The text demonstrates new techniques in functional neuroimaging, including integration and registration of different modalities of imaging as they relate to human brain development.
Each chapter is constructed around central themes in research and clinical practice. Discussions include appropriate imaging technology for measuring linear and nonlinear rates of development, critical periods, structural or functional developmental disabilities, and the development of neural connections. The text also analyzes whether data from adult neuroimaging studies are appropriate for developmental studies and examines interpretive models to explain developmental phenomena and effects. Coverage includes MRI, EEG, PET, and ERP.

Key Features: Provides new information on
* Human brain development
* Neurological bases of dyslexia
* Methods for neuroimaging of brain development
* Cortical growth spurts
* Development of schizophrenia

Dr. Thatcher received a Ph.D. in psychology with a major in biopsychology from the University of Waterloo in 1970 and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Oregon, 1966. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in neurobiology and neurophysiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1971-72 before joining the faculty of New York Medical College.

From 1993 to 2001 Dr. Thatcher was also the EEG and MRI principal investigator for the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration Head Injury Program (DVHIP).He joined the National Institutes of Health in 1991 as the program manager for the integration of 128 channel EEG with MRI and PET. Prior to this, he was professor of psychiatry and director of the QEEG service at Shock Trauma, University of Maryland. He was also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine from 1977 to 1979. Prior to moving to NYU he was an assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Physiology, New York Medical College 1973-1977.

From 1993-2006 Dr. Thatcher was the director of the NeuroImaging Laboratory at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, Florida, and was an adjunct professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of South Florida. He also has served on the National Institutes of Health Scientific Advisory Committee for the NIH Human Brain Map Project.

Dr. Thatcher's professional affiliations include being on the medical advisory board of Brainscope, Inc and a board member of the American Board of Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, a National Institute of Health Scientific advisory board member and an executive board member of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society. He is involved in collaborative research with several major medical centers as well ongoing clinical applications of qEEG and EEG biofeedback as part of the Resilience Program of the US Army at Fort Campbell. He has been the recipient of the Hans Berger Award of Merit (Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Neurofeedback Division, May 16, 2008) and the Life Time Achievement Award for work in the scientific specialty of QEEG (American Board of Certification of Quantitative Electroencephalography).

Robert W. Thatcher, Ph.D., is currently the President/CEO of Applied Neuroscience, Inc. and the Director of Applied Neuroscience Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida. Dr. Thatcher is certified as an expert in both conventional electroencephalography and quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG), has read over 20,000 EEGs, and has written or supervised the writing of over 10,000 clinical EEG reports. He has extensive mathematical and programming experience as well as organizational leadership skills He is the author of over 200 publications, including seven books.