Neuroimaging techniques have become essential adjunctive tools used to investigate functional, anatomical, and biochemical characteristics of the brain. In the study of alcoholism, commonly used methods include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetoencephalography (MEG), MR perfusion, and MR spectroscopy (Schulte et al., 2012c). These measurement tools permit researchers to evaluate attributes of the brain associated with particular neuropsychological processes, and to assess the size and integrity of the underlying neural tissues. Most research endeavors typically employ a single neuroimaging method with individual participants. However, Schulte et al. (2012c) have suggested that the combined use of several techniques would be highly advantageous in defining brain abnormalities, because each method has unique strengths and weaknesses.
