PET scanning

Question 1

Why are scans useful to researchers?

Answer 1

It allows them to examine the brains of living people and draw conclusions about the relationship between brain activity and behavior.

Question 2

What type of scan is this s/f ?

Answer 2

Functional

Question 3

what does a functional scan mean?

Answer 3

Shows images that illustrate how the brain is working during different tasks so doctors can identify which areas are not working properly and consequently are damaged

Question 4

what is the procedure?

Answer 4

• P is injected with water or glucose hat has been labelled with a radioactive tracer substance
• The substance travels round the body until it reaches the brain where the brain uses up the water/glucose as energy and the tracer begins to decay
• as the tracer decays it gives of positrons so more energy being used in different areas more positrons being given off
• The positrons collide with electrons and form gamma rays that are then picked up by the scanner to show the amount of energy being used up in areas of the brain