REVIEW ARTICLES  SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY 

The Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2005 June;49(2):205-14

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

SPET in psychopharmacolgy

Moresco R. M., Fazio F.

IBFM-CNR, Scientific Institute San Raffaele University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPET) permit the in vivo assesment of human biological processes with methods originally developed for preclinical studies. This opportunity is of primary interest in biological psychiatry and in psychoactive drugs development. Most of research efforts have focused on the use of PET field, and several biological finding on central nervous system (CNS) diseases have been published. Despite methodological limitations, the feasibility and usefulness of SPET for research, including full quantification, kinetic modeling and tracer validation, has been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this paper is to review advantages, limitations and results of SPET in psychopharmacology.