ABSTRACT
Many technological advances have been seen in the neuroimaging field. These advances are allowing the investigation of new and exciting neurophysiological and pathophysiological questions. This chapter intends to provide the reader with a brief overview of the principles of MRI, fMRI, PET and SPET. Basic information on the hardware, specific applications and major limitations of the different neuroimaging techniques is provided to give the reader a perspective of what can and cannot be done with these techniques. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been in existence for about 11 years.1-3 During this time, the technique has experienced explosive growth. The reasons for this growth include the following: minimal invasiveness; the growing availability of the necessary hardware; the unique functional spatial and temporal resolution niche that it fills; its ability to map a network of substrates that intervenes in cognitive and sensory processes; and, importantly, the potential that it promises for the investigation of abnormal brain function. Figure 1.1 is an attempt to graphically illustrate a timeline of the advancement of many, but certainly not all, significant aspects of functional imaging technologies.
