Small animal molecular imaging through $\mu PET$ and $\mu SPECT$

Compared to techniques such as autoradiography and microscopy, the possibility to longitudinally study small animals in vivo justifies the need for preclinical molecular imaging: μSPECT and μPET. In the first part of this chapter, we describe a performance evaluation to compare the three most widespread state-of-the-art μSPECT systems. Once the optimal system is chosen, we use it to study neuromodulation in rats as an application of high-resolution μSPECT imaging. Both the neurobiological effects of deep brain stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation are visualized in vivo in healthy animals. In the second part of this chapter, μPET is discussed. We first describe how a preclinical acquisition protocol can be standardized and how the resulting reconstructed images can be accurately quantified. Next, we apply this standardized protocol to a typical application of μPET in drug design, where we study the potency of a mGluR2/3 agonist in an animal model of schizophrenia.

ISBN:978-3-642-42014-6

Jaar van publicatie:2014

Trefwoorden:H1 Book chapter

Toegankelijkheid:Closed