PET imaging with a tracer for the signal receptor neurokinin 1 (NK1) could be useful for investigating the physiological processes of soft-tissue pain. The findings from researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden were published online October 14 in PLOS One.  {read more here}

Borrowing a tactic used to identify lung infections, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a potential method to identify TBI that uses positron emission tomography (PET) scans and the body’s immune response to a brain injury. {read more here}

PET/MR has expanded significantly into various fields, particularly in neuroimaging and oncology, according to new research. The paper notes that PET/MR and FDG-PET/CT appear to be similarly effective in lesion detection and oncologic diseases, but “there is lack of clearly defined prospective studies with a sufficient number of patients to validate these findings,” authors said in the report, which appears in Current Radiology Reports. They suggest that to open the possibility of putting PET/MR to standard use, optimization is needed and clear protocols should be developed. {read more here}

PET scans using the Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) radiopharmaceutical have shown a potential link between poor sleep and greater beta-amyloid accumulation, which could lead to Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, according to a study published online October 21 in JAMA Neurology. {read more here}