Other relevant innovative methods based on MRI are diffusion tensor imaging, which facilitates imaging of linked brain structures (circuits), as well as NVP-BGJ398 magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which facilitates imaging of the metabolic state of brain cells. As more powerful magnetic imaging tools such as 7-Tesla MRI machines become available, opportunities for increased resolution down to the level of large proteins may create the possibility of imaging brain amyloid in AD, for example. Similarly, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical positron emission tomography (PET)

offers great opportunities, since molecular imaging is likely to be a powerful way of imaging where the action is with regard to psychopathology. As PET ligands imaging specific molecules in the living brain become more available, opportunities will emerge to image specific neurotransmitters alongside Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical other important molecules. The same is true of genetics. Genes interact with the environment and have a role in the genesis and maintenance of many neuropsychiatrie syndromes. Well-designed genetic association studies, and possibly family studies, will reveal genetic factors associated with the emergence of psychopathology in brain disease. Treatment Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical development. A lesson learned repeatedly in neuropsychiatry is that therapeutic

strategies developed in other settings need to be tested again in this context. Disease-specific efforts building upon phenomenology

and risk factor studies as described above will be critical to developing specific therapies for the psychiatric syndromes seen in brain disease. Many of these initially will be symptomatic, but eventually the effort Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical should be targeted at developing therapies that address the underlying brain disease and the reasons Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical for which the neuropsychiatrie symptoms develop. Conclusion In recent decades the field of neuropsychiatry has reemerged as a branch of medicine well-suited to addressing the intricate crossroads of brain dysfunction and behavioral Tryptophan synthase phenomena. As this discussion highlights, conditions such as TBI, stroke, PD, AD, MS, and epilepsy demonstrate high rates of psychopathology despite varied pathophysiologic and pathogenetic origins. Armed with clinical expertise alongside the latest advances in neuroscience, neuropsychiatrists stand ready to utilize a pragmatic and methodological approach to understanding these myriad and complex conditions. The thoughtful application of the disease paradigm provides a reasoned tool to drive this process. Improved characterization of behavioral phenomenology will set the stage for the clarification of relevant risk factors, inform the application of the emerging methods of brain imaging and genetics, and ultimately lead to the development of optimized treatment approaches.