Because lesions usually affect contiguous areas of the
brain, cognitive neuropsychology has generally posited
modularity of brain function, assuming that specific regions
of the brain have specific dedicated functions. However,
a review of 36 published functional neuroimaging studies
suggests that functions are distributed over multiple regions.
Or, in other words, specific brain regions are usually
multifunctional. By a technique of “virtual lesions,”
I measure the contribution that regions of the brain make
to tasks imaged in 36 PET experiments, and propose a new
and more detailed interlink between neuropsychology and
functional neuroimaging. (JINS, 2000, 6,
627–635.)