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International audience; The optimal surgical management of gliomas requires a balance between surgical cytoreduction and preservation of neurological function. Preoperative functional neuroimaging, such as functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), has emerged as a possible tool to inform patient selection and surgical planning. However, evidence that preoperative fMRI or DTI improves extent of resection, limits neurological morbidity, and broadens surgical indications in classically eloquent areas is lacking. In this review, the authors describe facets of functional neuroimaging techniques that may limit their impact on neurosurgical oncology and critically evaluate the evidence supporting fMRI and DTI for patient selection and operative planning in glioma surgery. The authors also propose alternative applications for functional neuroimaging in the care of glioma patients.

International audience; Neurosurgeons have been directly involved with brain mapping efforts for well over a century. Direct access to the functioning human brain during surgery for intrinsic brain tumors, epilepsy, and functional neurosurgical procedures both requires individual functional brain mapping and presents an opportunity to precisely map human brain function. Several papers in this issue of Neurosurgical Focus extend our current understanding of cerebral organization with detailed examination of specific regions. Others introduce new technical nuances for intraoperative brain mapping. A third group of papers focuses on noninvasive brain mapping techniques that have emerged and been refined over the last several years.