PET Scan - Brain
PET Brain Scan - Overview & Techniques
Archer Radiology offers a PET scan of the brain.
One great advantage of PET technology is its aptitude for diagnosing neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease, as well as other types of brain disfunction and injury.
A PET scan, by tracing the body's metabolic activity, tracks the biochemical changes in the body's tissues. Thus in many instances it is able to detect metabolic changes in the brain preceding any anatomical or structural changes.
The consumption of FDG indicates the extent of brain activity. By indicating the consumption of FDG, PET imaging gives the physician a key to the working of a patient's brain. Furthermore, Alzheimer's disease has been linked in recent years to amyloid plaques, and radiotracers are now available that specifically show the presence and extent of plaques in the brain. Thus PET scanning is helping physicians gain a clearer understanding of the existence, progress, and spread of the disease.PET Brain Scan - Alternative Names & Explanations
Brain PET imaging, brain PET scan, PET scan for brain tumors, brain imaging technology, brain positron emission tomography scan, molecular brain scan
PET Brain Scan - Benefits
- Pinpointing and evaluating brain abnormalities and determine whether these abnormalities are caused by: Alzheimer's disease, blood flow shortages, depression, or some other reason
- Assisting surgery for individuals with uncontrollable seizures by locally the brain site of seizure activity
- Analyzing muscle tremor and evaluate whether it this is caused by Parkinson's disease or some other movement disorder
- Evaluating brain tumors and determine whether they are benign (alive tissue and non-cancerous) or malignant (dead tissue and cancerous)
- Pinpointing the source of epileptic seizures
- Assessing such medical conditions as degenerative brain diseases, movement disorders, and dementias
- Assisting surgical operations by identifying the areas of the brain responsible for such critical functions as movement and speech
- Analyzing the effectiveness of chemotherapy by examining cites of possible cancer recurrence and distinguishing whether this structural change is due to tumor re-growth or is a form of scar tissue
- Diagnosing Alzheimer’s earlier
- Differentiating Alzheimer’s disease from other types of dementia
- Monitoring the progression of the disease and the effectiveness of the treatment
Brain PET Scan - Images
Brain PET Scan - Common Indications & Positive Findings
- Brain tumor
- Mapping of abnormal brain function
- Heterogeneous hypoperfusion
- Hypometabolism in frontal lobe
Brain PET Scan - References & Links
- Journal of Nuclear Medicine, “Multicenter Standardized 18F-FDG PET Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Other Dementias,” Vol. 49, No. 3, 390–398
- Differentiating AD/HD from Healthy Controls Using Brain SPECT Imaging in Older Patients, Journal ofPsychoactive Drugs, 2008 Jun;40(2):139-46
- Brain Imaging In Clinical Practice: Pro/Con: Pro written by Daniel Amen, Clinical Psychiatry News September 2006
- High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging and EMDR in Police Officers with PTSD, written with Lansing, K, Hanks,C and Rudy, L, J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2005 Fall;17(4):526-32
- The Clinical Use of Brain SPECT Imaging in Neuropsychiatry. With Joseph C. WU, MD. and Blake,Carmichael, PhD. Alasbimn Journal 5(19): January 2003
- http://www2.alasbimnjournal.cl/alasbimn/CDA/sec_b/0,1206,SCID%253D3212,00.html
- Why Don’t Psychiatrists Look At The Brain: The Case for the Greater Use of SPECT Imaging inNeuropsychiatry. Neuropsychiatry Reviews. February 2001, Vol. 2, No. 1. Pages 1, 19-21
- Brain SPECT imaging in the assessment and treatment of aggressive behavior: A putative “Reward DeficiencySyndrome (RDS)” behavioral subtype. Abstract of presentation at the First Conference on “Reward Deficiency Syndrome:” Genetic Antecedents and Clinical Pathways, San Francisco, November 12-13, 2000, in Molecular Psychiatry, Volume 6 Supplement 1, February 2001, page S7
- Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry. Primary Psychiatry, Vol. 5, No. 8, pgs 83-90, August 1998
- Attention Deficit Disorder: A Guide for Primary Care Physicians. Primary Psychiatry, Vol 5, No. 7, pgs 76-85,July 1998
- High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Marijuana Smokers with AD/HD, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs,Volume 30, No. 2 April-June 1998. Pgs 1-13
- Visualizing the Firestorms in the Brain: An Inside Look at the Clinical and Physiological Connections betweenDrugs and Violence Using Brain SPECT Imaging, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Vol. 29 (4), 1997, 307-319
- Oppositional Children Similar To OCD on SPECT: Implications for Treatment, Journal of Neurotherapy, August1997, pgs 1-8
- Three Years On Clomipramine: Before and After Brain SPECT Study, Ann Clin Psychiatry, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1997,pgs 113-116
- High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Ann Clin Psychiatry, Vol. 9,No. 2, 1997, pgs 81-86
- High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry Provides Real Help For Patients: Diagnostic Imaging,November 1996, pages 85-88
- Brain SPECT Imaging In Psychiatric Practice: Advance for Radiological Professionals, Vol. 9 No. 16, August 5,1996, pgs. 12-13
- Amen, DG, Stubblefield, M, Carmichael B: Brain SPECT Findings and Aggressiveness: Ann Clin Psychiatry,Vol. 8, No. 3, 1996, 129-137
- Brain SPECT Imaging and ADHD. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 32:5, 1079-1080 (Letter),September 1993
- http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar00/brainscan.aspx
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