Why is brain imaging important?
Imaging offers a non-invasive way to find out what is happening inside the brain. By using new imaging and analysis techniques, we hope to understand the onset and development of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. Alzheimer’s disease can currently only be confirmed by studying brain tissue after a patient has died. However, various types of brain imaging, combined with advanced analysis, are emerging as possible diagnostic techniques. In some cases it may be possible to diagnose diseases before any clinical symptoms are present. The imaging techniques that are studied in the Preventative Health Flagship include: • magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) • positron emission tomography (PET) using various contrast agents • X-ray spectrography • ultrasound.
