Neuroimaging: Structure, Function and Mind

Neuroimaging provides a valuable noninvasive window into the human neural system and is used in fundamental and clinical research. Imaging techniques are essential for understanding spontaneous neural activity and brain mechanisms engaged in the processing of external inputs, memory formation, and cognition. Modern imaging modalities make it possible to visualize memory processes within the brain and to create images of its structure and function. Scientists and technologists are joining forces to pave the way for improving imaging technologies and methods, data analysis, and the application of imaging to investigate the wide spectra of neurological diseases, neuropsychological disorders, and aging. Imaging techniques are essential for the identification of biological markers of the earliest stages of neurodiseases and the development of new therapies. This book intends to provide the reader with a short overview of the current achievements in the state-of-the-art imaging modality methods, their highlights, and limitations in neuroscience research and clinical applications. The current state of in-vivo neuroimaging methods in the context of the understanding and diagnosis of mental disorders and relation to the mind is also discussed in a modern compact format, featuring the latest and most relevant research results.