Brain imaging technologies: how, what, when and why?
OBJECTIVE: Innovations in physics and computing technology over the past two decades have provided a powerful means of exploring the overall structure and function of the brain using a range of computerised brain imaging technologies (BITs). These technologies offer the means to elucidate the patter...
| Publicado en: | Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 187 - 197 |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Journal Article |
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Sage Publications Inc.
Apr1999
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=105973173&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 105973173 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 00048674 7ZU jtl: Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry issn: 00048674 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Apr1999 vid: 33 iid: 2 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. place: Thousand Oaks, California artinfo: ui: 105973173 105973173 2009782775 10.1046/j.1440-1614.1999.00557.x NLM10336216 105973173 ppf: 187 ppct: 10 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Brain imaging technologies: how, what, when and why? aug: au: Gordon E sug: subj: Brain Anatomy and Histology Brain Physiology Brain Radiography Magnetic Resonance Imaging Tomography, Emission-Computed Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon Tomography, X-Ray Computed Electroencephalography ab: OBJECTIVE: Innovations in physics and computing technology over the past two decades have provided a powerful means of exploring the overall structure and function of the brain using a range of computerised brain imaging technologies (BITs). These technologies offer the means to elucidate the patterns of pathophysiology underlying mental illness. The aim of this paper is to explore the current status and some of the future directions in the application of BITs to psychiatry. METHOD: Brain imaging technologies provide unambiguous measures of brain structure (computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and also index complementary measures of when (electroencephalography, event related potentials, magnetoencephalography) and where (functional MRI, single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography) aspects of brain activity occur. RESULTS: The structural technologies are primarily used to exclude a biological cause in cases of a suspected psychiatric disorder. The functional technologies show considerable potential to delineate subgroups of patients (that may have different treatment outcomes), and evaluate objectively the effects of treatment on the brain as a system. What is seldom emphasised in the literature are the numerous inconsistencies, the lack of specificity of findings and the simplistic interpretation of much of the data. CONCLUSION: Brain imaging technologies show considerable utility, but we are barely scratching the surface of this potential. Simplistic over-interpretation of results can be minimised by: replication of BIT findings, judicious combination of complementary methodologies, use of appropriate activation tasks, analysis with respect to large normative databases, control for performance, examining the data'beyond averaging', delineating clinical subtypes, exploring the severity of symptoms, specificity of findings and effects of treatment in the same patients. The technological innovation of BITs still far outstrips the sophistication of their use; it is essential that the meaning and mechanisms underlying BIT measures are always evaluated with respect to prevailing models of brain function across disciplines. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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