Neurobehavioral Probes as Applied in Physiological Neuroimaging Studies

The emergence of neuroimaging technology has opened a window to researchers in neuropsychology into the in vivo functioning of the human brain. These techniques provide information regarding the neuroanatomical and physiological functioning of the brain and, coupled with what has been termed neurobehavioral probes (Gur, Erwin, & Gur, 1992) can yield insight into the neural networks that regulate human behavior. However, it is also important to recognize the limitations of this methodology, both current and inherent. The goal of this chapter is to outline the potential and the limitations of neuroimaging techniques and behavioral probes as they are applied to the study of brain-behavior relationships.