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(Pssst) <whispering> Hey Ivan.... I don't wanna give Joe Bruman a swollen head, so this is just between us, ok?? <grinning> Joe is one of the most knowledgeable persons I know, (and he's also got an outrageously funny sense of humor). It's really amazing to see him come up with some fact or other, and not only have accurate ( no matter how obscure) information, but to then be able to to explain it SO lucidly that virtually everyone can understand what he's saying. This is not accomplished by "speaking down," to his audience, but rather by clear thought and presentation - a real art, in my opinion. Sooo consider me a member in good standing of the "Joe Bruman Fan Club." Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Ivan M Suzman <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 2:13 AM Subject: Re: PET Scan >^^^^^^ WARM GREETINGS FROM ^^^^^^^^^^^^ :-) > Ivan Suzman 49/39/36 [log in to unmask] :-) > Portland, Maine land of lighthouses 33 deg. F :-) >***************************************************************** *** >Hi, all....... > > >I just want to say a public THANK YOU to J.R. Bruman, >who over and over again answers straightforwardly and >cleary a vast array of questions that emerge from our >PIEN members about complex, scientifc names and >scientific things that are not easy to understand. > >Keep up the GREAT job, J.R.! > >Ivan >:-) > > > >On Mon, 4 Oct 1999 21:28:45 -0700 "J. R. Bruman" <[log in to unmask]> >writes: >>Terry Hopping wrote: >>> >>> Can anyone tell me what can be detected on a PET scan and of what >>value it >>> is ? >> >>PET is the acronym for Positron-Emission Tomography. "Tomography" is >>the technique of forming a 3-dimensional picture of something without >>having to destroy it, so it's especially useful to visualize the >>inside >>of something that is both complex and valuable, such as a living >>brain. >>The "3-dimensional" picture is usually presented as a series of >>slices >>or cross-sections, just as one would see if the object (say, a brain) >>were actually sliced up like salami. Numerous tomography techniques, >>such as CAT scan, MRI, MRS, SPECT, and PET, all use the same >>mechanical >>principle and differ only in the kind of signal that is recorded. In >>the CAT scan, for example, the signal is just an x-ray like in your >>dentist's office. The mechanical principle requires that the >>recording >>device rotates around each point of the object so it "sees" that >>point >>from all directions, and the process is repeated for every point in >>the >>object. >>"Positron-Emission" means that a radioactive chemical, injected >>beforehand, emits penetrating particles called positrons, that are >>detected by the recording device mentioned above. The injected >>chemical >>used for research in Parkinson's Disease is one that acts on brain >>cells >>just like dopamine, except that the positrons tell how much there is >>at >>any one point. In this way, positron-emission tomography (PET) can >>show >>in 3 dimensions just how well the dopamine-related parts of the brain >>are working, either in a PD patient or a healthy person. Furthermore, >>PET can do this while the subject is performing a task, such as >>tapping >>a finger or walking on a treadmill, so the researchers can see just >>which part of the brain is doing what, and the effects of PD. >>There are tons of scientific reports about PET used for PD research, >>many of which are reviewed in the PIE archives; happy hunting! >>Cheers, >>Joe >>-- >>J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 >>3527 Cody Road >>Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-5013