Positron emission tomography (PET) with three different radiotracers can now measure amyloid plaques, tau tangles and metabolic activity in the brains of living Alzheimer’s patients. This multimodal study shows significant correlation between increased tau and decreased metabolic activity in the brain—a clear sign of neurodegeneration—reveal researchers at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). {read more here}

Aggressive neuroendocrine cancer is something of a dark horse–a rare, elusive and persevering force linked to discouraging long-term survival rates. Researchers at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) are presenting a molecular imaging technique that allows oncologists to set patients’ radiotherapy doses right at that critical limit of delivering the most powerful kill to neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) while protecting vulnerable vital organs. {read more here}

Cancer patients often experience significant fluctuations in weight and lean body mass (LBM). Neglecting to account for these changes can prevent clinicians from obtaining precise data from molecular imaging, but a new method of measuring LBM takes changes in individual body composition into account for better staging of disease and therapy monitoring, say researchers at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). {read more here}

Alcoholism is a disorder that oftentimes leads to a continuous cycle of abuse. However, a new study revealed that using PET/CT to understand the connection between the mGluR5 brain receptor associated with reward and pleasure and the compulsion to drink may be the solution to long-term sobriety.  {read more here}