An Introduction to the Event-Related Potential Technique (Cognitive Neuroscience), by Steven J. Luck. 2006. Cambridge, MA: Bradford/MIT Press, 376 pp., $40.00 (PB)

The dramatic increased interest in event-related potential (ERP) techniques in recent years has been very gratifying in light of concerns a few years ago that this approach to studying brain function would be eclipsed by developments in other areas of functional neuroimaging (e.g., PET, fMRI) that have better spatial resolution. Instead, there has been increasing recognition that the study of event-related electrical potentials and neuromagnetic responses remains a critical complements to “hemodynamic” approaches, in part because they provide a millisecond-by-millisecond record of neural information processing that occurs between presentation of a discrete stimulus and the production of the motor response. This exquisite temporal resolution cannot be matched by techniques such as PET or fMRI. Moreover, ERPs provide a more direct index of neural activity related to stimulus events than procedures dependent on the coupling of brain activity with cerebral blood flow. The instrumentation is comparatively low cost for setup and maintenance and potentially portable so studies can be obtained in a variety of settings. In this context, this engagingly written Introduction to the Event-Related Potential Technique by Steven J. Luck represents an important and long overdue entry-level book to provide practical and concise information about ERP theory and methods.