The science of brain mapping and the field of nanoneurosurgery have made notable advances in recent years due in part to the efforts of the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics (SBMT) and the Brain Mapping Foundation (BMF). …

Background and Aim: Brain mapping is the study of the anatomy and function of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Brain mapping has many techniques and these techniques are permanently changing and updating. From the beginning, brain mapping was invasive and for brain mapping, electrical stimulation of the exposed brain was needed. However, nowadays brain mapping does not require electrical stimulation and often does not require any complex involvement of patients. To perform brain mapping, functional and structural neuroimaging has an essential role. The techniques for brain mapping include noninvasive techniques (structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI], diffusion MRI [dMRI], magnetoencephalography [MEG], electroencephalography [EEG], positron emission tomography [PET], near-infrared spectroscopy [NIRS] and other non-invasive scanning techniques) and invasive techniques (direct cortical stimulation [DCS] and intracarotid amytal test [IAT] or wada test). Methods and Materials/Patients: This is a narrative study on brain mapping in neurosurgery. To provide up-to-date information on brain mapping in neurosurgery, we precisely reviewed brain mapping and neurosurgery articles. Using the keywords “, brain mapping”, , “, neurosurgery”, , “, brain mapping techniques”, , and “, benefits of brain mapping”, , all of the related articles were obtained from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Medline and were precisely studied. Results: To perform an effective and safe neurosurgical intervention, precise information about the structural and functional anatomy of the brain is obligatory. Based on the information on brain mapping, the selection of suitable patients for the operation, the plan of appropriate operative approach, and good surgical results can be acquired. To provide this information, we can use brain mapping techniques that were formerly applied in neuroscientific brain mapping efforts with noninvasive techniques, such as fMRI, MEG, dMRI, PET, etc and invasive techniques, such as DCS, IAT, etc. Conclusion: Functional brain mapping is a constantly evolving fact in neurosurgery. All stages in obtaining a functional image are complex and need knowledge of the basic physiologic and imaging features.

The core mission of clinical MRI in Human Brain Mapping (HBM) is formed in a cycle of research, education and practice. Learning the effective diagnostic and treatment planning procedures occurs not in the classrooms but through engagement in active research. Clinical MRI research for HBM initiates with strategic and necessary demands of clinicians, e. g. neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. who need specific clinical MRI acquisition and quantification techniques for better, faster and more accurate diagnostic and follow-up procedures. Neuro-radiologists are responsible for all aspects of a research MRI examination, including assessment of patient’ s clinical symptoms, assigning the imaging protocol, reviewing the acquired images for their quality and interpretations, and finally, preparing the reports. MR physicists with their unique scientific qualifications and perception of clinical requirements play a critical role in optimization of the existing protocols, establishment of research investigations and development of effective techniques (including pulse sequences, analysis and quantification software, etc. ) for clinical application of MRI in HBM, when responsibility of a clinical scientist is minimal when the research methodology development starts while the physicist starts with the maximum responsibility to develop the methodology, and vice versa when the methodology development progresses from early to the end stages closer to the clinical practice.

The art is long and the life short. The prognosis of glioma has been improved and upgraded during the latter part of the last century, which can be attributed to the advances in pathological classification, mi-crosurgical techniques, and further advances in adjuvant therapies [1]. Glioma and its surgical management have always remained the Holy Grail for neurosurgeons worldwide. Thus, choosing the best and optimal treatment, despite recent advances, has always been a subject of debate and controversy [2]. Since the advent of modern neurosurgery, localization of lesions, the electrophysiological study of the brain, functional mapping, and awake craniotomy have been practiced and later developed by the pioneers of neurosurgery, such as Penfield and Cushing before MRI stepped into clinical practice. After the introduction of MRI, new modalities facilitated the procedure of surgical planning to achieve the goal of microsurgery and improve prognosis and quality of life in patients. Despite the variable applications of preoperative and intraoperative mapping and monitoring systems, several limitations and concerns are reported for each method. In this issue of the Iranian Journal of Neurosurgery (IrJNS), we are delighted to present papers discussing different aspects of brain mapping in neurosurgical oncology, including brain mapping, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), tractography, and navigation systems. Moreover, new modalities, such as Fluorescence Image-Guided Surgery (FIGS) are discussed. . .

Background/Objective: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) plays a significant role in pre-neurosurgical planning at present. FMRI is a possible candidate to replace invasive methods for determination of the language dominant hemisphere and cortical areas associated with language and memory. We used this method to explore language and motor functions in healthy volunteers before creating standard paradigms for Persian language. In this study, we used the standard protocol of language and motor brain mapping in patients harboring brain tumors.Patients and Methods: Ten patients with brain tumor were included in this study. Each subject performed three to five language related tasks during fMRI scan and also one motor related task. These tasks included; "Word Generation" (WG), "Object Naming" (ON), and "Word Reading" (WR), "Word Production" (WP) and "Reverse Word Reading" (RWR). They also performed the thumb apposition task for activating primary sensory-motor areas. Fifteen continuous slices were acquired, and data analysis was carried out using FSL 4.1. After evaluating the individual results, the lateralization index (LI) for each subject-task was calculated and the dominant hemisphere for language production was reported. Also localization of critical language areas in the cerebral cortex was performed and the coordinates of epicenter for language production in Broca's area was calculated.Results: We found that WP, RWR, and WG activate language related areas in the dominant hemisphere robustly in patients with brain tumors and can predict the dominant hemisphere along with eloquent language cortices. However, ON and WR fail to delineate these activation areas optimally. In addition, the results reveal that higher activation intensities are obtained by WP in the frontal lobe including Broca's area, whereas RWR leads to the highest LI among all examined tasks. In patients harboring brain tumors, precise lateralization and localization of language and motor centers was done. In addition, the distance of the tumor margin with these eloquent areas were calculated. These results were used as a guide for neurosurgeons in surgery minimizing damages to these critical areas. Conclusion: From neuro-linguistic points of view this study suggests that neural processing underlying Persian language is similar to other indo-European languages like Latin languages. From clinical points of view, we conclude that this type of language fMRI evaluation may be used in pre-surgical planning in Persian population. By using fMRI as a non-invasive tool we can demonstrate a precise functional brain map before surgery and use this map to prevent damage to language and motor related areas. This method of brain imaging safely lowers morbidity of neurosur-gical procedures which could possibly cause severe dysphasia and motor impairment in patients suffering brain tumors.