Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The use of cerebral activation procedures with single photon emission tomography

  • Review Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Single photon emission tomography allows the imaging of dynamic brain functioning. The use of cerebral activating procedures within the scan protocol enables investigation of the mechanisms involved in specific brain functions in health and disease. Activation studies involve the comparison of at least two data sets describing brain activity generated in conditions that differ for the specific function in question. When designing an activation study, decisions regarding methodology include: the nature of the activation regime, the tracer-ligand utilized, the SPET instrument and the manner of subsequent data analysis. These issues are discussed in this review, both theoretically and with reference to published studies. Means of activating particular cerebral structures and functions are reviewed, as are the limitations of the techniques with respect to temporal and spatial resolution and the potentially confounding nature of preconceived ideas regarding the mechanisms of brain function.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen AR, Friberg HH, Schmidt JF, Hasselbalch SG (1988) Quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow using SPECT and 99mTc-d,l-HM-PAO compared to xenon-133. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 8:69–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreasen NC (1988) Evaluation of brain imaging techniques in mental illness. Ann Rev Med 39:335–345

    Google Scholar 

  • Batjer HH, Devous MD, Meyer MJ, Purdy PD, Samson DS (1988) Cerebrovascular haemodynamics in arteriovenous malformation complicated by normal perfusion pressure breakthrough. Neurosurgery 22:503–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Battisstin L, Pizzolato G, Dam M, Da Col C, Perlotto N, Saitta B, Borsato N, Calvani M, Ferlin G (1989) Single-photon emission computed tomography studies with 99m-Tc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime in dementia: effects of acute administration ofl-acetylcarnitine. Eur Neurol 29:261–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Biersack HJ, Linke D, Brassel F, Reichman K, Kurhten M, Durwen HF, Reuter BM, Wappenschmidt J, Stefan H (1987) Technetium-99m HM-PAO brain SPELT in epileptic patients before and during unilateral hemispheric anesthesia (Wada test): report of three cases. J Nucl Med 28:1763–1767

    Google Scholar 

  • Chollet F, Celsis P, Clanet M, Guiraud-Chaumeil B, Marc-Vergnes J-P (1989) SPELT study of cerebral blood flow reactivity after acetazolamide in patients with transient ischaemic attacks. Stroke 20:458–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark CM, Kessler R, Margolin R (1985) The statistical interaction of cerebral specialization and integration in the interpretation of dynamic brain images. Brain Cogn 4:7–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa DC, Ell PJ, Cullum ID, Jarritt PH (1986) The in vivo distribution of 99Tcm-HM-PAO in normal man. Nucl Med Comm 7:647–658

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa DC, Ell PJ, Burns A, Philpot M, Levy R (1988) CBF tomograms and Tc-HM-PAO in patients with dementia (Alzheimer's type and HIV) and Parkinson's disease - initial results. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 109–115

  • Dahl A, Russel D, Nyberg-Hansen R, Rootwelt K (1989) Effect of nitroglycerin on cerebral circulation measured by transcranial Doppler and SPELT. Stroke 20:1733–1736

    Google Scholar 

  • Delecluse F, Voordecker P, Raftopoulos C (1989) Vertebrobasilar insufficiency revealed by xenon-133 inhalation SPELT. Stroke 20:952–956

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox PT (1989) Functional brain mapping with positron emission tomography. Semin Neurol 9:323–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox PT, Perlmutter SS, Raichle ME (1988) Enhanced detection of focal brain enzymes using intersubject averaging and change-distribution analysis of subtracted PET images. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 8:642–653

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsberg MD, Yoshii F, Vibulsresth S, Chang JY, Duara R, Barker WW, Boothe TE (1987) Human task-specific somatosensory activation. Neurology 37:1301–1308

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldenberg G, Podreka I, Steiner M, Willmes K (1987) Patterns of regional cerebral blood flow related to memorizing of high and low imagery words — an emission computer tomography study. Neuropsychologia 25:473–485

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldenberg G, Podreka I, Uhl F, Steiner M, Willmes K, Deecke L (1989) Cerebral correlates of imagining colours, faces and a map — I. SPELT of regional cerebral blood flow. Neuropsychologia 27:1315–1328

    Google Scholar 

  • Homan RW, Paulman RG, Devous MD, Walker P, Jennings LW, Bonte FJ (1989) Cognitive function and regional cerebral blood flow in partial seizures. Arch Neurol 46:964–970

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter R, McLuskie R, Wyper D, Patterson J, Christie JE, Brooks DN, McCullough J, Fink G, Goodwin GM (1989) The pattern of function-related regional cerebral blood flow investigated by single photon emission tomography with 99mTc-HMPAO in patients with presenile Alzheimer's disease and Korsakofl's psychosis. Psychol Med 19:847–855

    Google Scholar 

  • Lammertsma AA, Frackowiak RSJ, Hoffman JM, Humng S-C, Weinberg IN, Dahlbom M, MacDonald NS, Hoffman EJ, Mazziota JC, Heather JD, Forse GR, Phelps ME, Jones T (1989) The C1502 build-up technique to measure regional cerebral blood-flow and volume of distribution of water. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 9:461–470

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang W, Lang M, Podreka I, Steiner M, Uhl F, Suess E, Muller C, Deeke L (1988a) DC-potential shifts and regional cerebral blood flow reveal frontal cortex incolcement in human visuomotor learning. Exp Brain Res 71:353–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang W, Podreka I, Suess E, Muller C, Zeitlhofer J, DeekeL (1988b) Single photon emission computerized tomography during and between seizures. J Neurol 235:277–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Lassen NA, Roland PE, Larsen B, Melamed E, Soh K (1977) Mapping of human cerebral functions: a study of the regional cerebral blood flow patterns during rest, its reproducibility and the activations seen during basic sensory and motor functions. Acta Neurol Scand 56 [Suppl 64]:262–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Lassen NA, Ingvar DH, Skinhoj E (1978) Brain function and blood flow. Sci Am 239:62–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Lassen NA, Andersen AR, Friberg L, Paulson OB (1988) The retention of [99m Tc:-d,l-HM-PAO in the human brain after intracarotid bolus injection: A kinetic analysis. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 8 [Suppl 1]: S13-S22

    Google Scholar 

  • Luria AR (1980) Higher cortical functions in man, 2nd edn. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsuda H, Higashi S, Ash IN, Eftekhari M, Esmaili J, Seki H, Tsuji S, Oba H, Imai K, Terada H, Sumiya H, Hisada K (1988) Evaluation of cerebral collateral circulation by technetium-99m HM-PAO brain SPECT during Matas test: report of three cases. J Nucl Med 29:1724–1729

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazziotta JC, Phelps ME (1984) Human sensory stimulation and deprivation: positron emission tomographic results and strategies. Ann Neurol 15: S50-S60

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazziotta JC, Phelps ME (1986) Positron emission tomography studies of the brain. In: Phelps M, Mazziotta J, Schelbert H (eds) Positron emission tomography and autoradiography: principles and applications for the brain and heart. Raven Press, New York, p 493–579

    Google Scholar 

  • Mettler EJ, Riege WH, Kuhl DE, Phelps ME (1984) Cerebral metabolic relationships for selected brain regions in healthy adults. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 4:1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Musalek M, Podreka I, Suess E, Nutnzinger D, Passweg V, Strobl R, Walter H, Baumgartner C, Lesch OM (1988) Neurophysiological aspects of auditory hallucinations. 99mTc-(HMPO) —SPECT investigations in patients with auditory hallucinations and normal controls — a preliminary report. Psychopathology 21:275–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo JV, Pardo PJ, Janer KW, Raichle ME (1990) The anterior cingulate cortex mediates processing selection in the Stroop attentional conflict paradigm. Neurobiology 87:256–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen SE, Fox PT, Posner MI, Mintum M, Raichle ME (1988) Positron emission tomographic studies of the cortical anatomy of single-word processing. Nature 331:585–589

    Google Scholar 

  • Prohovnik I, Hakansson K, Risberg J (1980) Observations on the functional significance of regional cerebral blood flow in “resting” normal subjects. Neuropsychologia 18:203–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Raichle ME (1987) Circulatory and metabolic correlates of brain function. In: Plum F (ed) The nervous system: higher functions of the brain. American Physiological Society, Bethesda, pp 643–674

    Google Scholar 

  • Risberg J (1987) Development of high-resolution two-dimensional measurement of regional cerebral blood flow. In: Wade J, Knezevic S, Maximilian VA, Mubrin Z, Prohvnic I (eds) Impact of functional imaging in neurology and psychiatry. Libbey, London, pp 35–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Risberg J (1989) Regional cerebral blood flow measurements with high temporal and spatial resolution. In: Ottson D, Rostene W (eds) Visualization of brain functions (Wenner-Gren Int Symp Ser, vol 53). MacMillan Press, London, pp 153–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Roland PE, Friberg L (1985) Localization of cortical areas activated by thinking. J Neurophysiol 53:1219–1243

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharp PF, Smith FW, Gemmell HG, Lyall D, Evans NTS, Guordanovic D, Davison J, Tyrell DA, Pickett RD, Neuinckx R (1986) Technetium-99m-Tc-HM-PAO stereoisomers as potential agents for imaging regional cerebral blood flow. J Nucl Med 27:171–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuss DT, Benson DF (1986) The frontal lobes, Raven Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Talairach J, Szilka G (1967) Atlas of stereotaxic anatomy of the telencephalon. Masson & Cie, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Volkow ND, Wolf AP, Van Gelder P, Brodie JD, Overall JE, Cancro R, Gomez-Mont F (1987) Phenomenological correlates of metabolic activity in 18 patients with chronic schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 144:151–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker-Barton D, Wendt JS, Devous MD, Barton MM, Bonte FJ (1988) A long-term follow-up case study of crossed aphasia assessed by single-photon emission tomography (SPECT), language, and neuropsychological testing. Brain Lang 33:311–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger DR, Berman KF, Zee RF (1986) Physiologic dysfunction of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychol 43:114–124

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neurology, WC1N 313G, Queen Square, London, UK

    H. A. Ring & M. George

  2. Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, London, UK

    D. C. Costa & P. J. Ell

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., USA

    M. George

Authors
  1. H. A. Ring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. George
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. C. Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. J. Ell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Offprint requests to: P.J. Ell

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ring, H.A., George, M., Costa, D.C. et al. The use of cerebral activation procedures with single photon emission tomography. Eur J Nucl Med 18, 133–141 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00950760

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00950760

Key words

Search

Navigation