Abstract
Evaluations of brain function pre- and intra- operatively has been essential to maintain the quality of life in patients undergoing neurosurgery. These evaluations, which have been developed through studies in epilepsy, are now essential in neurosurgery for brain tumors and vascular diseases. The goal of functional brain mapping followed by function monitoring, is to perform surgery more safely and effectively thereby allowing for better outcomes. When choosing among multiple modern modalities for brain functional evaluation, we should consider the physiological aspects of each of these methods from a view point of functional recovery or compensation. Clinical usefulness and differences between intraoperative electrical stimulation of the cortex and subcortical fibers and clininical symptoms under an awake state to preserve affected or unaffected function during neurosurgery are also discussed. Further consideration of the actual network connecting each eloquent area may ultimately lead to a new concept in neurosurgery as well as in neuroscience itself.
