Abstract
Neurosciences have become the ‘hot topic’ in biomedical research, driven by increasingly powerful tools for visualizing and measuring brain functioning. These involve measuring increased blood flow, measuring cell metabolism by using marked chemicals, and measuring the electric activity of nerve cells. ‘Into the 21st century’ points out that imaging has increased knowledge and understanding of the biochemical systems in the brain associated with disorders, thereby improving drug research, though there are, as yet, no major advances in clinical practice as a direct result. Most major psychiatric disorders run in families and have an undeniable genetic component but there are probably several genes involved and they have proved difficult to identify.
