In the developed world, images of brain structure are available as an everyday diagnostic aid, and the characteristic appearances of most pathological conditions can be looked up in a textbook. Functional brain imaging is to this day less widely used, partly because most pressing diagnostic questions can be answered by refer ence to the patient's cerebral anatomy, partly for reasons of technical limitations of functional techniques. PET as a technique is sufficiently resource-demanding and complex to inhibit its use as an everyday diagnostic technique. SPECT lacked suitable tracers for many years, and early systems had poor spatial resolution. However, rotating gamma camera technology has advanced to the point where images of the brain of reasonable quality can be obtained at most large hospitals, and practical tracers, particularly of regional cerebral blood flow, are easily avail able. As research advances, clinical applications are emerging. A recent report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology! details a number of currently recognised clinical appli cations, some of which are dealt with in this book. Given this recognition, it is increasingly important that clinicians (particularly neuroclinicians, psychiatrists and specialists in cerebrovascular disease), nuclear medicine specialists and physicists acquire an idea of the major applications of the technique, and the research background on which these applications are based.

This Fourth Edition reflects the significant recent progress that has occurred in functional brain imaging, particularly the increased use of PET/SPECT, the use of SPECT and PET in movement disorders and dementia, and advances in radiopharmaceutical development and instrumentation. Chapter topics include PET physics and instrumentation, PET radiopharmaceuticals, SPECT radiopharmaceuticals, and technical factors. The entire book has been thoroughly revised to reflect an appropriate balance between SPECT and PET applications. Highlights of this edition include a new chapter on neuroreceptor imaging and kinetic modeling, a new chapter on brain imaging in movement disorders, and significant updates on SPECT radiopharmaceuticals.

The book reviews the recent developments in brain imaging and their technological advancements to understand molecular mechanisms associated with neurological disorders and basic behaviors in humans and rodents at the structural, molecular, and functional levels. It discusses the usefulness of advanced optical microscopy techniques, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), miniscope, multiphoton fluorescence (2PF & 3PF), adaptive optics, harmonic generation, and Raman microscopy for understanding pathomechanism of brain disorders and pathological and physiological changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Also, the book presents conventional imaging modalities, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), for delineating underlying mechanisms and precise early diagnosis of neurological disorders. This book is a useful resource for neuroscientists and researchers working in biomedical engineering and optics.

PET and SPECT are two of today's most important medical-imaging methods, providing images that reveal subtle information about physiological processes in humans and animals. Emission Tomography: The Fundamentals of PET and SPECT explains the physics and engineering principles of these important functional-imaging methods. The technology of emission tomography is covered in detail, including historical origins, scientific and mathematical foundations, imaging systems and their components, image reconstruction and analysis, simulation techniques, and clinical and laboratory applications. The book describes the state of the art of emission tomography, including all facets of conventional SPECT and PET, as well as contemporary topics such as iterative image reconstruction, small-animal imaging, and PET/CT systems. This book is intended as a textbook and reference resource for graduate students, researchers, medical physicists, biomedical engineers, and professional engineers and physicists in the medical-imaging industry. Thorough tutorials of fundamental and advanced topics are presented by dozens of the leading researchers in PET and SPECT. SPECT has long been a mainstay of clinical imaging, and PET is now one of the world's fastest growing medical imaging techniques, owing to its dramatic contributions to cancer imaging and other applications. Emission Tomography: The Fundamentals of PET and SPECT is an essential resource for understanding the technology of SPECT and PET, the most widely used forms of molecular imaging.*Contains thorough tutorial treatments, coupled with coverage of advanced topics*Three of the four holders of the prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Medical Imaging Scientist Award are chapter contributors*Include color artwork

Remarkable advances in medical diagnostic imaging have been made during the past few decades. The development of new imaging techniques and continuous improvements in the display of digital images have opened new horizons in the study of brain anatomy and pathology. The field of brain imaging has now become a fast-moving, demanding and exciting multidisciplinary activity. I hope that this textbook will be useful to students and clinicians in the field of neuroscience, in understanding the fundamentals of advances in brain imaging.