This volume is the second in "The Downstate Series of Research in Psychiatry." It is aseries devoted to the presentation of sig nificant research with relevance for both clinicians and researchers in the multiple subfields of psychiatry. This book focuses on the interactions between psychic phenomena and physical processes as studied by evoked brain potentials. It presents material concerned with physiological and psychological unifying processes, as weIl as research concerning technology and methods of obtaining meaningful measurements. As such it is representative of biological psychiatry at its best. Thus, it represents another step in new directions in psychiatric research but not an unanticipated direction. Scientific investigation into the human psyche took an unex pected turn when Sigmund Freud in the last part of the 19th Century turned his attention from neurological concerns to those of psychol ogy. His first attempts at explanations as noted in the "project," included a heavy emphasis on the biological substrate of behavior.

This volume is the second in "The Downstate Series of Research in Psychiatry." It is aseries devoted to the presentation of sig nificant research with relevance for both clinicians and researchers in the multiple subfields of psychiatry. This book focuses on the interactions between psychic phenomena and physical processes as studied by evoked brain potentials. It presents material concerned with physiological and psychological unifying processes, as weIl as research concerning technology and methods of obtaining meaningful measurements. As such it is representative of biological psychiatry at its best. Thus, it represents another step in new directions in psychiatric research but not an unanticipated direction. Scientific investigation into the human psyche took an unex pected turn when Sigmund Freud in the last part of the 19th Century turned his attention from neurological concerns to those of psychol ogy. His first attempts at explanations as noted in the "project," included a heavy emphasis on the biological substrate of behavior.

Event-Related Brain Potentials in Man contains the proceedings of a conference held on April 26-29, 1977, and sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health in Rockville, Maryland to assess the field of event-related brain potential (ERP) research. The papers explore findings on ERPs in man in relation to the link between brain and behavior, brain functions, mental states, and drug interactions. Organized into eight chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the functional neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of ERPs, along with their measurement. It then proceeds with a discussion of some applications of ERPs to patients with neurological and sensory impairment, the use of ERPs to analyze sensation as well as perception and attention, the endogenous components of the ERP, the ERP correlates of psychopathology, and the event-related brain potentials across the life span. The reader is also introduced to ethical issues regarding ERPs, with reference to the history of encephalography. An epilogue assessing the increased status and maturity of the ERP field, along with uncharted territories and future prospects, concludes the book. This book will be of interest to scientists and clinical investigators working in biological sciences, neuropsychology, psychiatry, and neurology.

This new volume brings together a wealth of information on event-related potentials of the brain, an area which has grown increasingly important as researchers attempt to understand the workings of the human brain using noninvasive imaging techniques. The volume addresses the neurophysiological bases of ERPs, brain stems and cognition, as well as applications. It will be of interest to a wide range of researchers in perceptual, cognitive, and motor behavior.

From August 25 - 28, 1978 a conference on averaged evoked po tentials was held at Konstanz, West Germany. Research on human evoked potentials has progressed rapidly in the past decade, and a series of international conferences have served to maintain com munication between active workers in the field. Among the organiza tions that have a tradition of supporting such mUlti-national com munication are the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Scientific Affairs Division, the u.s. Office of Naval Research and the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). We have been fortunate to have the support of all three. In the early stages of planning, a committee was formed composed of Professors Rudolph Cohen (Konstanz), Otto Creutzfeldt (Goettingen), John Desmedt (Brussels), A.M. Halliday (London), Anthony Remond (Paris) and Herbert Vaughan (New York). A call for papers was circulated as widely as possible, and this committee carried out the difficult task of selecting a limited number of participants from a large number of excellent abstracts. At the same time Professor Cohen of the University of Konstanz was generous enough to shoulder the task of playing host to the conference. His thoughtful arrangements contributed enormously to the comfort of the participants. He and his colleagues also engi neered an ideal ambience for sharing of ideas and observations, while the University of Konstanz generously provided audio-visual support.