Neuroimaging Genetics

Book excerpt: The field of neuroimaging genetics has grown exponentially over the past decade. To date there are more than 10,000 published papers involving MRI, PET, MEG and genetics. Neuroimaging Genetics: Principles and Practices is the comprehensive volume edited by Drs. Bigos, Hariri, and Weinberger and co-authored by the preeminent scholars in the field. This text reviews the basic principles of neuroimaging techniques and their application to neuroimaging genetics. The work presented in this volume elaborates on the explosive interest from diverse research areas in psychiatry and neurology in the use of imaging genetics as a unique tool to establish and identify mechanisms of risk, establish biological significance, and extend statistical evidence of genetic associations. Examples throughout highlight the application of imaging genetics to understand neurochemical systems and pathways, explore relationships between genetics and the structural and functional connectivity in human brain, and provide insight into mechanisms of risk for psychiatric and neurologic illness.