C_S_D 4430 Lecture Notes - Lecture 49: Cardiovascular Disease, Magnetoencephalography, Photon
Document Summary
Functional brain imaging technologies localize brain activity based on physiological or metabolic changes (blood flow, oxygen consumption) in the brain. Pet involves the injection of a radioactive tracer substance and ultimately measures changes in regional blood flow in the brain during a particular mental activity. As a part of the brain becomes active, neurons in that area use a lot of atp. To create more atp, neurons require a lot of glucose and oxygen, which they get from arterial blood supply. How much blood a brain region needs at any given moment in time is how much it receives. Therefore, information about changes in regional blood supply can tell us something about the brain activity. Prior to the scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into one of the patient s veins. Pet is used in research on brain functioning. It can show changes that occur fairly quickly.
