Functional Neuroimaging in Child Psychiatry

From our regular book review column.

The title of this book is simple and compelling. This large and very attractive volume lays out a blueprint for the future of child psychiatry. The authors hope that readers will learn to better understand childhood psychiatric disorders through the use of functional neuroimaging. The book is also designed to provide guidance to the clinician who wishes to judiciously order specific studies. Somewhat surprisingly, there is an interesting section on molecular genetics, which is quietly included near the end. These later chapters suggest that more homogeneous disorders that can be defined through the use of functional neuroimaging will lead to a better understanding of the etiology of psychiatric illnesses. Essentially, I agree with this premise.