Brain Connectivity in Autism


Book Description

The brain's ability to process information crucially relies on connectivity. Understanding how the brain processes complex information and how such abilities are disrupted in individuals with neuropsychological disorders will require an improved understanding of brain connectivity. Autism is an intriguingly complex neurodevelopmental disorder with multidimensional symptoms and cognitive characteristics. A biological origin for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) had been proposed even in the earliest published accounts (Kanner, 1943; Asperger, 1944). Despite decades of research, a focal neurobiological marker for autism has been elusive. Nevertheless, disruptions in interregional and functional and anatomical connectivity have been a hallmark of neural functioning in ASD. Theoretical accounts of connectivity perceive ASD as a cognitive and neurobiological disorder associated with altered functioning of integrative circuitry. Neuroimaging studies have reported disruptions in functional connectivity (synchronization of activated brain areas) during cognitive tasks and during task-free resting states. While these insights are valuable, they do not address the time-lagged causality and directionality of such correlations. Despite the general promise of the connectivity account of ASD, inconsistencies and methodological differences among studies call for more thorough investigations. A comprehensive neurological account of ASD should incorporate functional, effective, and anatomical connectivity measures and test the diagnostic utility of such measures. In addition, questions pertaining to how cognitive and behavioral intervention can target connection abnormalities in ASD should be addressed. This research topic of the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience addresses “Brain Connectivity in Autism” primarily from cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging perspectives.




Functional Neurologic Disorders


Book Description

Functional Neurologic Disorders, the latest volume in the Handbook of Clinical Neurology series, summarizes state-of-the-art research findings and clinical practice on this class of disorders at the interface between neurology and psychiatry. This 51-chapter volume offers an historical introduction, chapters on epidemiology and pathophysiolology, a large section on the clinical features of different type of functional neurologic symptoms and disorders (including functional movement disorders, non-epileptic seizures, dizziness, vision, hearing, speech and cognitive symptoms), and then concluding with approaches to therapy. This group of internationally acclaimed experts in neurology, psychiatry, and neuroscience represent a broad spectrum of areas of expertise, chosen for their ability to write clearly and concisely with an eye toward a clinical audience. This HCN volume sets a new landmark standard for a comprehensive, multi-authored work dealing with functional neurologic disorders (also described as psychogenic, dissociative or conversion disorders). - Offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach for the care of patients with functional disorders seen in neurologic practice, leading to more efficient prevention, management, and treatment - Provides a synthesis of research efforts incorporating clinical, brain imaging and neurophysiological studies - Fills an existing gap between traditional neurology and traditional psychiatry - Contents include coverage of history, epidemiology, clinical presentations, and therapy - Edited work with chapters authored by leaders in the field, the broadest, most expert coverage available




Understanding Neuropsychiatric Disorders


Book Description

An informative and comprehensive review from the leading researchers in the field, this book provides a complete one-stop guide to neuroimaging techniques and their application to a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders. For each disorder or group of disorders, separate chapters review the most up-to-date findings from structural imaging, functional imaging and/or molecular imaging. Each section ends with an overview from a internationally-renowned luminary in the field, addressing the question of 'What do we know and where are we going?' Richly illustrated throughout, each chapter includes a 'summary box', providing readers with explicit take-home messages. This is an essential resource for clinicians, researchers and trainees who want to learn how neuroimaging tools lead to new discoveries about brain and behaviour associations in neuropsychiatric disorders.




Handbook of Neuroengineering


Book Description

This Handbook serves as an authoritative reference book in the field of Neuroengineering. Neuroengineering is a very exciting field that is rapidly getting established as core subject matter for research and education. The Neuroengineering field has also produced an impressive array of industry products and clinical applications. It also serves as a reference book for graduate students, research scholars and teachers. Selected sections or a compendium of chapters may be used as “reference book” for a one or two semester graduate course in Biomedical Engineering. Some academicians will construct a “textbook” out of selected sections or chapters. The Handbook is also meant as a state-of-the-art volume for researchers. Due to its comprehensive coverage, researchers in one field covered by a certain section of the Handbook would find other sections valuable sources of cross-reference for information and fertilization of interdisciplinary ideas. Industry researchers as well as clinicians using neurotechnologies will find the Handbook a single source for foundation and state-of-the-art applications in the field of Neuroengineering. Regulatory agencies, entrepreneurs, investors and legal experts can use the Handbook as a reference for their professional work as well.​




Discovering the Human Connectome


Book Description

A pioneer in the field outlines new empirical and computational approaches to mapping the neural connections of the human brain. Crucial to understanding how the brain works is connectivity, and the centerpiece of brain connectivity is the connectome, a comprehensive description of how neurons and brain regions are connected. In this book, Olaf Sporns surveys current efforts to chart these connections—to map the human connectome. He argues that the nascent field of connectomics has already begun to influence the way many neuroscientists collect, analyze, and think about their data. Moreover, the idea of mapping the connections of the human brain in their entirety has captured the imaginations of researchers across several disciplines including human cognition, brain and mental disorders, and complex systems and networks. Discovering the Human Connectome offers the first comprehensive overview of current empirical and computational approaches in this rapidly developing field.




Psychogenic Movement Disorders


Book Description

This groundbreaking volume is the first text devoted to psychogenic movement disorders. Co-published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and the American Academy of Neurology, the book contains the highlights of an international, multidisciplinary conference on these disorders and features contributions from leading neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physiatrists, and basic scientists. Major sections discuss the phenomenology of psychogenic movement disorders from both the neurologist's and the psychiatrist's viewpoint. Subsequent sections examine recent findings on pathophysiology and describe current diagnostic techniques and therapies. Also included are abstracts of 16 seminal free communications presented at the conference.




Make Life Visible


Book Description

This open access book describes marked advances in imaging technology that have enabled the visualization of phenomena in ways formerly believed to be completelyimpossible. These technologies have made major contributions to the elucidation of the pathology of diseases as well as to their diagnosis and therapy. The volume presents various studies from molecular imaging to clinical imaging. It also focuses on innovative, creative, advanced research that gives full play to imaging technology inthe broad sense, while exploring cross-disciplinary areas in which individual research fields interact and pursuing the development of new techniques where they fuse together. The book is separated into three parts, the first of which addresses the topic of visualizing and controlling molecules for life. Th e second part is devoted to imaging of disease mechanisms, while the final part comprises studies on the application of imaging technologies to diagnosis and therapy. Th e book contains the proceedings of the 12th Uehara International Symposium 2017, “Make Life Visible” sponsored by the Uehara Memorial Foundation and held from June 12 to 14, 2017. It is written by leading scientists in the field and is an open access publication under a CC BY 4.0 license.




Neurosensory Disorders in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury


Book Description

Mild traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI or Concussion) is an increasingly common public health issue in sports, military environments, and life in today's active world. Despite a great deal of study and public attention to this disorder, knowledge about optimal diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment information remains lacking. Neurosensory symptoms have been shown to be the most frequent complications of mTBI in both the acute and chronic setting. Neurosensory Disorders in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury brings together both the basic science work as well as the clinical work in mTBI into one volume to provide a comprehensive examination of the neurosensory issues associated with this disorder. Coverage includes chapters on defining mild Traumatic Brain Injury, neurosensory consequences, neurosensory disorders in clinical practice, and diagnosis and treatment for neurosensory disorders in mTBI. This book is written for clinicians, researchers, residents and students in neurology and neuroscience. - Provides a comprehensive examination of the neurosensory issues associated with mild Traumatic Brain Injury and concussion - Brings together both the basic science work and the clinical work in mTBI into a single volume - Helps clinicians understand the best diagnosis and treatment paths and puts current research into perspective for researchers




Computational Psychiatry


Book Description

Computational Psychiatry: Mathematical Modeling of Mental Illness is the first systematic effort to bring together leading scholars in the fields of psychiatry and computational neuroscience who have conducted the most impactful research and scholarship in this area. It includes an introduction outlining the challenges and opportunities facing the field of psychiatry that is followed by a detailed treatment of computational methods used in the service of understanding neuropsychiatric symptoms, improving diagnosis and guiding treatments. This book provides a vital resource for the clinical neuroscience community with an in-depth treatment of various computational neuroscience approaches geared towards understanding psychiatric phenomena. Its most valuable feature is a comprehensive survey of work from leaders in this field. - Offers an in-depth overview of the rapidly evolving field of computational psychiatry - Written for academics, researchers, advanced students and clinicians in the fields of computational neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, psychiatry, clinical psychology, neurology and cognitive neuroscience - Provides a comprehensive survey of work from leaders in this field and a presentation of a range of computational psychiatry methods and approaches geared towards a broad array of psychiatric problems