Neuroradiology as subspeciality was born with the first skull x-ray examinations. It has come a long way since then now allowing for the visualization of the intracranial compartment not only with respect to the structure but also its function and biochemical composition.

Magnetic resonance imaging (mri) with its diverse, sophisticated options is most suitable for psychiatry. Structural brain abnormalities can be assessed with the use of dedicated mri sequences; underlying chemical and physical disturbances are being detected and constitute the base for such methods like susceptibility weighted imaging and diffusion weighted imaging. Diffusion tensor imaging reflects the course and direction of the white matter tracts making it possible to detect subtle changes related to white matter integrity which are seen in patients with the psychiatric disorders.

To make the diagnoses more objective and less observer dependent, quantification with volumetric methods can be applied as postprocessing. Functional mri (fmri) as a way of mapping brain activation in response to the specific stimuli is becoming an important modality of observing relevant differences in this aspect between the healthy and dysfunctional brains. The relevant neuroimaging modalities and their application in psychiatry will be discussed.