Positron Emission Tomography in Neuroimaging - An Update

Population of aged people is on the rise worldwide, thanks to the advances in medicine, which enhanced lifespan. However, this increased lifespan came with a price, that is, aging associated diseases, of which diseases affecting central nervous system, in particular, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease etc., are predominant. Inasmuch as intervention and access to brain is not always possible by invasive techniques, it is essential to develop non-invasive methods that can give a clue at molecular level regarding the pathological mechanisms in brain regions. Recent advances in neuroradiological and imaging techniques have helped in early and differential diagnosis of several neurological diseases and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Among these, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) holds great promise in the early diagnosis of Alzhemier's disease, etc. The present review article focuses on the current views, latest developments and reported shortcomings of the versatile imaging technique PET. An important aspect of PET is the specificity of neuroimaging agents, as these often have undesirably high non-specific binding to brain tissue and we address this and discuss the recent advances in the development of these agents as well as the specific biomarkers for neuroimaging.