The Hooker Research Group at the Martinos Center is excited to announce the publication of a new method for functional positron emission tomography imaging of glucose metabolism. The method is called fPET-FDG, as it uses the radiotracer FDG (2-[18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose).

fPET-FDG enables measurement of glucose metabolism dynamically and with higher temporal resolution than is available otherwise. Previously, researchers could only infer changes in glucose utilization, by taking two separate scans and subtracting one from the other. The new PET method overcomes this limitation by providing a constant infusion of FDG, creating an analysis pipeline similar to that used with fMRI.

The method has tremendous potential for applications in both research and clinical settings, since FDG imaging is widely available and can be performed with most PET scanners. At the same time, because it is highly complementary to MRI and provides a rich new way to observe functional changes in brain metabolism, fPET-FDG capitalizes on the new hybrid MR-PET scanners that are coming online.

The paper, to be published in the Oct. 15, 2014, issue of NeuroImage, is now available both on the Hooker Research Group's publications page and here.