A Brain SPECT scan requires that radioactive isotopes that are bound to neurospecific pharmaceuticals be injected into a patient's vein and are taken-up by brain tissue. The radiopharmaceutical circulates to areas of the brain where blood is flowing, the general principle being that areas where more blood is flowing will receive more isotopic labeling and vice versa and that increased blood flow generally correlates with increased underlying brain activity. The isotope (Technetium99) is immediately fixed to areas of the brain proportional to its flow and emits gamma rays which are then detected by the 4-head SPECT gamma camera.
In studying patients with psychiatric disorders with SPECT imaging, researchers have found blood perfusion patterns that often correlate with different psychiatric conditions. Therefore, patients are actually able to "see" the physiological source of their own brain dysfunction. |
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