Should the fields of neurology and psychiatry be merged? In this article published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, a meta-analysis of 168 neuroimaging studies involving 4,227 patients and 4504 healthy controls cautions us in assuming that the fields of psychiatry and neurology should merge. Indeed, the authors state:
It is unclear to what extent the traditional distinction between neurological and psychiatric disorders reflects biological differences. From a neuroimaging perspective, neurological and psychiatric disorders represent two distinct classes of disorders. The basal ganglia, insula, sensorimotor and temporal cortex showed greater impairment in neurological disorders; whereas cingulate, medial frontal, superior frontal and occipital cortex showed greater impairment in psychiatric disorders. The two classes of disorders affected distinct functional networks. Read original article here
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