while the others continue to work normally. The brain works in a similar way; damage to the white-matter pathway that connects the motor cortex to the rest of the body will result in a loss of movement, whereas damage to a different pathway will result in a different problem. Until now it has been very difficult to obtain pictures of these white-matter pathways. However, a new magnetic resonance imaging technique called diffusion tensor tractography allows medical physicists to obtain for the first time images of these pathways by studying the way in which water moves in the brain. The white-matter pathways of the brain can be highlighted because water can move more freely along them. Neuroscientists and neurologists are concerned with how the brain works and how its functions are affected by disease. By producing detailed pictures of the white matter pathways in the brain we now have the opportunity to examine more closely how damage to different parts of the white matter can lead to a loss of function and disability. The development of an atlas of the brain showing the white matter connections in any individual will help neurologists to better understand diseases such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other diseases of the brain. Chris Clark (cclark@sghms.ac.uk) of St. George's Hospital Medical School in London will describe progress toward a white-matter atlas on Wednesday at 2:00 PM (Paper WE-D23A-3, Wednesday, 1:30 PM).

NATIONWIDE EVALUATION OF X-RAY TRENDS (NEXT)
Each year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducts a study, called NEXT, that explores trends in technology and clinical methods, including X-ray doses administered to patients. Past NEXT surveys have concentrated on the adult chest, abdomen, upper gastrointestinal fluorosocopy, CT for the head, and dental radiography. The 2002 NEXT survey was devoted to the abdomen and lumbosacral spine, and preliminary resul
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Contact: Phil Schewe
pschewe@aip.org
301-209-3092
American Institute of Physics
14-Jul-2003

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