EDITORIAL

The Growth of Human Brain Mapping

This issue opens the fifth volume of Human BrainMapping. In the editorial opening the first volume ofHuman Brain Mapping [Fox, 1993], we observed thatinterest in human brainmapping had reached ‘‘unprec-edented levels’’ and that the field had never been‘‘more vital.’’ As is now apparent, this was merely thetip of the iceberg. Human functional neuroimaging hasmoved squarely into the scientific mainstream. Witheach passing month, the number of research publica-tions and the number of laboratories contributing to thisfield seems to grow. Similarly, coverage of human brainmapping by the lay and scientific news media is be-comingmore andmore common. There is no doubt thatthe field is booming. Onemightwell ask, ‘‘Howmuch?’’Human brain mapping is fortunate in having report-

ing standards that, although not universally applied,are in wide use. Specifically, the locations of brainactivations are most commonly reported in standard-ized coordinates [Fox, 1995] referable to the atlases ofTalairach et al. [1967; 1988]. As Talairach’s atlasesestablish a reporting standard, publications referenc-ing them are an index of the volume of publications inhuman brain mapping. This index has two readilyidentified biases, which work in opposite directions.As some brain-mapping studies fail to report standard-ized coordinates, this index will be an underestimate.To the extent that papers citing the Talairach atlases arenot reporting new brain-mapping results (e.g., arereviews, letters, editorials, or report new methods), thisindex will be an over-estimate. To estimate the magnitudeof the latter bias, a large sample (127) of papers publishedin 1995 and referencing the current Talairach atlas [1988]was retrieved and examined. Greater than 70% of thesepapers were new reports of functional mapping of thehuman brain. Thus, the index seems reasonable. Based onthis index, the available literature: 1) exceeds one thousandpublications (over all years), 2) increased by nearly 350publications in 1996, and 3) is doubling every 18–24months (Figure 1). Although this volume may seemstartling, it is confirmed by a second citational index:abstracts on human brain mapping presented at theannual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (Figure1). While neither index is an absolute measure of thesize of our field, it is incontestable that the field ofhuman brain mapping is growing at a rate exceedingeven the most optimistic expectations (ours).

The growth of human brain mapping cannot beattributed solely to increased productivity at well-established laboratories. New functional-imaging cen-ters are being created and scientists from a host ofneighboring disciplines are moving into the field. As aresult, discipline-specific publications (e.g., for neurol-ogy, psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, radiology,physics and the like) are ill-suited to serve as a forumfor this new convergence of disciplines [Fox, 1993].This was the motivation for launching this journal,Human Brain Mapping.Created to serve this field,Human Brain Mapping has

shared its remarkable growth. In a brief three years,Human Brain Mapping won a listing in Current Con-tents, an accomplishment jointly due to the highimpact of our field and to the high volume of excellentsubmissions. Keeping pace with this growth has neces-sitated changes in journal logistics and productionschedules. To accelerate peer review, reviewer-selec-tion was made entirely electronic. To more closelycoordinate peer-review and production, the EditorialOffice was moved to the home offices of John Wileyand Sons, in New York. This year, to accommodate theincreased volume of submissions without delaying

Figure 1.Two indices of the growth of human brain mapping are illustrated.Grey bars chart the number of publications citing the Talairachatlases [1967, 1988]. (Total 1996 value projected from bi-monthlyvalues for January through October.) Black bars chart the numberof abstracts on functional mapping of the human brain reported atthe annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

r HumanBrain Mapping 5:1–2(1997)r

r 1997Wiley-Liss,Inc.

publication, Human Brain Mapping expands to sixissues per volume. Rest assured that as our fieldgrows,Human BrainMappingwill keep pace. If the pastis any indication, the growth of human brain mappingwill exceed all expectations.

Peter T. FoxResearch Imaging CenterUniversity of Texas Health Science CenterSanAntonio, Texas

REFERENCES

Fox PT (1993): Human brain mapping: a convergence of disciplines.Human Brain Mapping 1:1–2.

Fox PT (1995): Spatial normalization: origins, objectives, applicationsand alternatives. Human Brain Mapping 3:161–164.

Talairach J, Szikla G, et al. (1967): Atlas D’anatomie stereotaxique dutelencephale. Etudes Anatomo-Radiologiques. Paris: Masson &Cie.

Talairach J, Toumoux P, et al. (1988): Coplanar stereotaxic atlas of thehuman brain. NY: Thieme Medical.

r Fox r

r 2 r