UPDATE ON PET GLUCOSE NEUROIMAGING

Positron emission tomography with F-18-deoxyglucose yields high-resolu tion images of brain activity with accurate quantification of a fundam ental property of central nervous system function, cerebral glucose me tabolic rate. Alone among brain-imaging modalities, the deoxyglucose m ethod can be applied with microscopic resolution in animal studies, pe rmitting detailed comparison of pharmacological response in both human and non-human experiments. In schizophrenia, metabolic imaging has id entified functional changes in components of the fronto-striato-thalam ic circuits and the temporal lobe, and visualized changes with neurole ptic, anxiolytic and antidepressant treatment.