Neuroimaging - Research

Neuroimaging facilitates the precise mapping of specific brain structures. It is important to remember, however, that specific behaviors or emotions rarely map to specific brain areas.

One of the most important developments in the field of neuroscience has been the development of sophisticated technologies for examining brain function. Neuroimaging has considerably broadened the horizons of cognition research, allowing scientists to literally look inside the living brain. At the core of all dynamic techniques of neuroimaging lies the knowledge that the brain is plastic—that it is constantly changing as we go about our daily lives. The brain that exists when you finish reading this sentence is different to the brain that existed when you started. Neuroimaging has the potential to monitor these changes as they are taking place, and the array of powerful tools include techniques such as EEG, PET, fMRI and TMS. While there is little doubt that neuroimaging can provide important insights into how the brain works, it is important to remember that specific cognitive functions very rarely map to a single structure in the brain. Although it is common in the popular media to read stories ascribing particular emotions or behaviors to a specific "brain center", this is very rarely the case.