Structural brain imaging and multivariate analysis enable virtual lumbar punctures.

Abstract

Functional brain imaging has been a standard tool in the basic and clinical neurosciences for at least 2 decades, and structural brain imaging can claim an even longer track record of successful use for diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease. It is instructive to recall the ways in which brain imaging has been used to date, and this exercise will clarify why the contribution by McMillan et al.(1) in the current issue of Neurology is exciting and novel.