Andreasen's text represents a serious attempt to inform psychiatrists about brain imaging: its technical basis, research findings, and possible clinical applications. We live at a time in which noninvasive tomographic techniques are still in their infancy; however, just as the invention of the microscope revolutionized biology, these new brain mapping techniques will significantly change the face of psychiatry by invalidating certain theories and confirming others. Topics covered include computed tomography (CT); brain electrical activity mapping (BEAM); single-photon emission tomography (SPECT), including studies of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF); magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); and positron emission tomography (PET).
The technical information given about each methodology will be too detailed for some, not detailed enough for others, but is on the whole well written and helps significantly to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of each method. For example, CT and MRI use different principles (x-rays vs magnetic fields) to create anatomic maps