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8 - Positron Emission Tomography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2026

Jonas Vibell
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Thomas Thesen
Affiliation:
Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
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Summary

This chapter tackles positron emission tomography (PET), a functional neuroimaging technique that revolutionized brain imaging in the 1970s by providing the first colorful maps of brain activity. Beginning with its historical development from Hans Berger’s early hemodynamic measurements to modern scanners, the chapter examines how PET visualizes metabolic processes by tracking radioactively labeled tracers in the bloodstream. Unlike structural imaging methods, PET detects gamma rays emitted when positrons from the radiotracer collide with electrons, allowing researchers to measure regional changes in blood flow, glucose metabolism, and neurotransmitter activity related to cognitive processes. The chapter details practical aspects of PET studies, including experimental design, data acquisition, image reconstruction techniques, and visualization methods like subtraction analysis for mapping task-related brain activity. While MRI-based techniques have supplanted PET for many cognitive neuroscience applications, PET remains invaluable for certain investigations due to its unique ability to label diverse compounds, particularly for studying neuropsychiatric disorders, neurotransmitter systems, and metabolic processes in diseases like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.

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Chapter
Information
Brain Imaging Essentials
Current Tools and Their Capabilities
, pp. 116 - 129
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026

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References

References and Further Reading

Kety, S. S. (1960). Measurement of local blood flow by the exchange of an inert, diffusible substance. Methods in Medical Research, 8, 228236.Google Scholar
Kety, S. S., & Schmidt, C. F. (1948). The nitrous oxide method for the quantitative determination of cerebral blood flow in man: Theory, procedure and normal values. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 27(4), 476483.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turkheimer, F. E., Veronese, M., & Dunn, J. (2014). Experimental design and practical data analysis in positron emission tomography (1st ed.). Published independently with CreateSpace.Google Scholar
Valk, P. E., Bailey, D. L., Townsend, D. W, & Maisey, M. N. (2005). Positron emission tomography: Basic science and clinical practice. New York: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Webb, S. (1990). From the watching of shadows: The origins of radiological tomography. New York: CRC Press, 1990.Google Scholar
Zhang, J., & Knopp, M. V. (2020). Advances in PET: The latest in instrumentation, technology, and clinical practice. Cham: Springer Nature.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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