Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

... An imaging technique that produces a three-dimensional map of brain activity.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) produces a three-dimensional, cross-sectional image of the brain using gamma radiation given off when negatively charged particles called electrons collide with positively charged particles known as positrons. The PET facility at UT-Houston can produce 21 image slices simultaneously, and can image the whole brain at one time.

Projects being conducted at the PET Center include:

Mapping brain activities that occur between epileptic seizures
Comparing PET imaging to MEG imaging in order to compare electrical activity to metabolic activity in the brains of epileptic patients
Mapping glucose metabolism and blood flow changes in Parkinson’s disease patients before and after pallidotomy (surgery to inactivate the portion of the brain that causes involuntary movements)
Mapping metabolism and blood flow in migraine headache patients to identify the regions of the brain involved in migraine pain
Imaging studies for diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors
Imaging studies for diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders, learning disorders and dementia.