What type of brain imaging is available today?
A. Neuroscientists have dramatically improved their ability to image the living brain noninvasively. There are currently two primary ways of scanning the brain, and each has its plusses and minuses. PET (positron emission tomography) scanning provides a picture of organ structure and function. In the case of the brain, it will show the amount of energy the human brain is using. This imaging procedure is used for diagnosis. During a PET scan, pictures are taken of the distribution of sugar, which is known as glucose. For the PET scan, a small amount of radioactive glucose is administered into a vein, and the material goes to the places in the body that use glucose, which in this case is the brain. The scan allows researchers to know if the brain is physically functioning in the way you expect, using the right amount of energy. And it will tell you if your memory systems and your language systems are as active as they should be. There are no side effects to having a PET scan performed bu
