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Casting Light on the Dark Side of Brain Imaging,

Edition 1

Editors: Edited by Amir Raz and Robert T. Thibault

Publication Date: 19 Feb 2019

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Most people find colorful brain scans highly compelling—and yet, many experts don’t. This discrepancy begs the question: What can we learn from neuroimaging? Is brain information useful in fields such as psychiatry, law, or education? How do neuroscientists create brain activation maps and why do we admire them?

Casting Light on The Dark Side of Brain Imaging tackles these questions through a critical and constructive lens—separating fruitful science from misleading neuro-babble. In a breezy writing style accessible to a wide readership, experts from across the brain sciences offer their uncensored thoughts to help advance brain research and debunk the craze for reductionist, headline-grabbing neuroscience.

This collection of short, enlightening essays is suitable for anyone interested in brain science, from students to professionals. Together, we take a hard look at the science behind brain imaging and outline why this technique remains promising despite its seldom-discussed shortcomings.

Key Features

Challenges the tendency toward neuro-reductionism
Deconstructs hype through a critical yet constructive lens
Unveils the nature of brain imaging data
Explores emerging brain technologies and future directions
Features a non-technical and accessible writing style

About the author

Edited by Amir Raz, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Robert T. Thibault, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

List of Contributors

Introductory Comments to Any Aspiring NeuroJedi: The Right Way to Read this Book
Amir Raz
Overview
Robert T. Thibault

Neuroskepticism: questioning the brain as symbol and selling-point
Neuroskeptic, Pseudonymous blogger, Discover Magazine

Section I: Imaging bains: What for?
1. Can neuroimaging reveal how the brain thinks?
Stevan Harnad
2. Is addiction a brain disease?
Scott O. Lilienfeld and Sally Satel
3. How brain imaging takes psychiatry for a ride
Surjo R. Soekadar and David Haslacher
4. Brain-computer interfaces for communication in paralysis
Niels Birbaumer and Aygul Rana
5. Neurohype and the law: A cautionary tale
Stephen J. Morse
6. The brain in the classroom: The mindless appeal of neuroeducation
Gregory Donoghue

Section II: What are we measuring?
7. Brain waves: How to decipher the cacophony
Suresh Muthukumaraswamy
8. On the relationship between functional MRI signals and neuronal activity
Amir Shmuel
9. MRI artifacts in psychiatry: Head motion, breathing, and other systematic confounds
Robert T. Thibault and Amir Raz
10. When the brain lies: Body posture alters neural activity
Robert T. Thibault

Section III: The devil's in the details
11. The replication challenge: Is brain imaging next?
David Mehler
12. Power and design considerations in imaging research
Marcus R. Munafò, Henk R. Cremers, Tor D. Wager and Tal Yarkoni
13. Why neuroimaging can't diagnose autism
Robert T. Thibault, Lauren Dahl and Amir Raz

Section IV: Neuroimaging: Holy Grail or false prophet?
14. From mind to brain: The challenge of neuro-reductionism
Ian Gold
15. The power of belief in the magic of neuroscience
Jay A. Olson
16. Neuroplacebos: When healing is a no-brainer
Samuel Veissière
17. Brain imaging and artificial intelligence
Uri Maoz and Erik Linstead

Section V: Can we train the brain better?
18. Noninvasive brain stimulation: When the hype transcends the evidence
Jared Cooney Horvath
19. Neurofeedback: An inside perspective
Jimmy Ghaziri and Robert T. Thibault
20. The (dis)enchantment of brain-training games
Sheida Rabipour
21. What's wrong with "the mindful brain"? Moving past a neurocentric view of meditation
Michael Lifshitz and Evan Thompson
22. "Backed by neuroscience": How brain imaging sells
Lauren Dahl and Amir Raz

Section VI: What next?
23. From regions to networks: Neuroimaging approaches to mapping brain organization
Ricky Burns, Daniel S. Margulies and Philipp Haueis
24. Whole-brain modeling of neuroimaging data: Moving beyond correlation to causation
Morten L. Kringelbach and Gustavo Deco
25. Connecting networks to neurons
Michael I. Posner
26. High field magnetic resonance imaging
Alayar Kangarlu

Conclusion
Robert T. Thibault

Title Reviews

"With the advent of advanced brain-imaging technologies, psychologists are finally in a position to understand the neural underpinnings of mind and behavior. Raz and Thibault cover the fads and fallacies and pitfalls while still celebrating the achievements, and potential, of neuroscience."—John F. Kihlstrom, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

"A dazzling collection of short, engaging writings on the hype, controversies, promises, and excitement generated by imaging the human brain. Great read for both neophytes and experts." —Marco Iacoboni, Author, Mirroring People; Professor, UCLA

ISBN: 9780128161791

Page Count: 204

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Students in brain related fields, researchers and clinicians who draw on findings from brain imaging research, and neuro-enthusiasts in general.