Brain Imaging

Written from a historical and philosophical point of view, this book explores the gamut of chemical reactions in the brain and how drugs affect those processes. It is uniquely accessible to the specialist and general educated public.

Presented in an interesting, historical and philosophical way, this book describes the current state of play in brain imaging, showing the differences among the different imaging modalities, and reviewing the knowledge about the chemical reactions in the brain, and their relationship to thinking, feeling and acting.

The book reviews all the results of PET and PET/CT imaging of the brain with all radiopharmaceuticals that bind to receptors in all recognized and classified mental diseases, as well as the studies on the localization of those sites that are activated by sensory or motor activity. The book illustrates the parts of the brain activated and deactivated during sensory perception, motion and other mental functions and explains how the process of neurotransmission takes place in chemical terms.

The book is a valuable reference resource for all those in nuclear medicine and radiology as well as the educated general public.

Acquaints the reader with awareness of all the chemical reactions going on in his/her brain at all times, and how drugs affect these processes Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

A pioneer in nuclear medicine and past president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Professor Henry N. Wagner Jr., MD has spent nearly five decades helping to define and promote the specialty. His groundbreaking work in the applications of nuclear medicine to pulmonary and coronary artery disease and his studies of brain chemistry with radio-labelled tracers have led to significant advances in these fields. Wagner is the director of the Division of Radiation Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he has worked since 1958. He is a professor emeritus of radiology and radiological sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a professor of environmental health sciences at the School of Hygiene and Public Health. A prolific researcher and writer, Wagner is author or co-author of more than 800 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, books and chapters. He is a member of several editorial boards and many medical and radiological societies, and an honorary member of the British Institute of Radiology (2000).

Inhalt
A Molecular Theory of Disease.- The Master Molecule.- Genes and Disease.- From Brain to Mind.- The Early Days.- A Molecular Theory of Mental Disease.- The Physics of Radioactivity.- The Tracer Principle.- Aggression vs Altruism.- Monitoring Mental Activity.- Violence and Crime.- Drug Design and Development.- Substance Abuse.- Mental Illness.- The Hormone of Love.- The Golden Rule.- Brain Dysfunction in Children.- Brain Dysfunction in Adults.- Conclusion.