Brain imaging in functional mental disorders.

The application of brain imaging techniques to psychiatry is reviewed with respect to computerized tomography (CT), EEG topography, positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While early computerized tomography studies have suggested structural abnormalities in schizophrenia, more recent studies have shown that most schizophrenics and patients with other disorders have normal CT scans. EEG topography and positron emission tomography have not been evaluated as fully as computerized tomography. However, preliminary studies indicate some functional abnormalities in schizophrenia and affective disorders compared to normal controls. Magnetic resonance imaging shows promise but has had only a limited application to date in psychiatry.