See Also: NRC Membership Listing > 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.