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Positron emission tomography imaging in neurological disorders

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Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful tool for in vivo imaging investigations of human brain function. It provides non-invasive quantification of brain metabolism, receptor binding of various neurotransmitter systems, and alterations in regional blood flow. The use of PET in a clinical setting is still limited due to the high costs of cyclotrons and radiochemical laboratories. However, once these limitations can be bypassed, PET could aid clinical practice by providing a useful imaging technique for the diagnosis, the planning of treatment, and the prediction outcome in various neurological diseases. This review aims to explain the PET imaging technique and its applications in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and dementias.

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Acknowledgments

Our own research is supported by the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research USA, the Parkinson’s UK and the Cure Huntington’s Disease Initiative Foundation USA.

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Nothing to declare.

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  1. Division of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Neuroscience, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, Cyclotron Building, London, W12 0NN, UK

    Marios Politis & Paola Piccini

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  1. Marios Politis
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  2. Paola Piccini
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Correspondence to Marios Politis.

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Politis, M., Piccini, P. Positron emission tomography imaging in neurological disorders. J Neurol 259, 1769–1780 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6428-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6428-3

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