For hundreds of years, scientists interested in the brain were limited to surgical techniques, often on cadavers. Imaging and recording technologies now allow us to investigate the living brain by assessing structure, function, or both. CAT and MRI techniques provide static pictures of brain structures, while functional imaging and recording techniques allow us to see the relationship between brain activity and specific mental functions. Functional techniques can also be used to diagnose injuries and diseases earlier than techniques that look at structure.
New technologies are continually being developed, allowing us to study the brain in ways we couldn’t imagine just a few years ago.