Scans are combined to treat brain problems

PHILADELPHIA, Oct 13, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- University of Pennsylvania researchers say they are the first to combine fMRI and PET imaging to better diagnose and treat brain disorders.

The use of simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography allows physicians to compare different measurements of the brain's function concurrently to better diagnose and treat patients suffering from such brain disorders as Alzheimer's disease, the scientists said.

The work combines the fMRI, which captures the blood flow in the brain, with PET scanning, which looks at glucose metabolism in the brain.

"We can take the results of the simultaneous fMRI and PET scans and come up with two separate results and compare them for a new look at the brain," said Dr. Andrew Newberg, a radiologist in nuclear medicine and lead author of the clinical study.

"Using this technique, you capture the ... same moment in the brain with both scans. It will help to show us what the relationship is between metabolism and blood flow."

The study is detailed on-line at sciencedirect.com and will be published in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal NeuroImage.

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