Positron Emission Tomography and Autoradiography: Principles and Applications for the Brain and Heart

Positron emission tomography, better known as PET scanning, is the most powerful new technology available for assessing the biological activity of the living brain. Its development represents a remarkable cooperative effort among nuclear physics, computer technology, pharmacology, and clinical neuroscience. The use of such diverse technologies has made the exciting new PET technology and its contributions inaccessible to most clinicians. This book, Positron Emission Tomography and Autoradiography: Principles and Applications for the Brain and Heart, provides an excellent introduction to the pharmacologic and radiologic foundations of PET scanning. The sections of the book dealing with neurophysiology are nicely written and edited. The book provides a readable review of introductory biochemistry and receptor binding theory which leads well into discussions of in vivo binding studies using PET techniques. These chapters constitute the most relevant sections for psychiatry. The implications and limitations of the 2-deoxy-glucose technique for assessing ongoing brain metabolic activity are also nicely presented. I have one minor criticism: as a psychiatrist, I had little use for the sections on cardiac applications of the PET technique and found that these chapters distracted from the otherwise tight editing of the volume. This book provides a valuble introduction to PET technology, while its depth makes it a useful reference text as well. PET scanning is a relatively new technique with advances occurring at a rapid rate, which may make this book out of date in a short time. Overall, though, I highly recommend this volume for researchers and clinicians interested in this exciting research technology.