Imaging in vivo aspects of brain structure and function hold great promise for the study of alcoholism. Computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have been used successfully to demonstrate structural abnormalities in alcoholic patients. Positron emission tomography and topographic images of electrical and magnetic activity are useful measures of brain function that could be applied more rigorously to the study of alcoholism. Interrelating various types of imaging data is an important area that is still in the developmental stage.