Modern Techniques
In the 19th century the only useful way to study the brain was postmortem dissection. The living brain could be viewed during brain surgery, but that technique was highly limited. Now the living brain can be viewed using various imaging techniques including CAT scans, MRI, PET, etc. New techniques are being invented. The newest thing is spectroscopy, which can be used to view chemical reactions in the brain. Unfortunately these techniques are very expensive.
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This image shows Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) who used the old technique of dissecting dead bodies. The clipart is shown courtesy of the NLM.
The old method was used in Germany by Braune & Schmiedel in their 1872 atlas. The main drawback of this technique is that it cannot be used to study and treat a living patient. This image from the atlas is shown courtesy the NLM.
Shown here is an MRI image of the brain. This clipart is from the Biology Project website.
The book shown here discusses brain imaging as well as genetics and other disciplines. The cover is from Alibris.
This book by leading experts is about nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which is a new imaging technique that is in the research stage. It can visual chemical reactions going on in the living brain. This technique holds great promise for research on metabolic errors. The cover is from Alibris.
Shown here is a book advancing the popular (but false) neurodevelopmental theory. There has been a century of neuropathology data demonstrating gliosis, which is a finding suggesting a toxic factor. The book is included here because it uses imaging techniques. The cover is from Alibris.
This photo shows Dr. Bogerts and his colleagues in Germany. Bogerts has been doing imaging research for decades. He has discovered abnormalities in the basal ganglia in schizophrenia. He is funded by the Stanley Medical Research organization. This clipart was taken from the Stanley Research website. This is a non-profit site.
One of the editors of this book, Daniel Weinberger, is a leading American authority on imaging. The cover is from Alibris.
This book, whose cover is from Amazon.com, contains material on imaging.
In 1992 study Tamminga et al used the PET technique to study "floridly psychotic schizophrenic individuals". They found "a remarkable reduction in glucose metabolism in the medial temporal structures". They also described the areas as "limbic structures (anterior cingulate and hippocampal cortices)". "Anterior" is medical jargon for "frontal". This work is reported in the text shown by Yudofsky & Hales.