Radiotracers for PETT: new developments and perspectives

Radiotracer development with positron emitters has its major focus on problems in the neurosciences. Progress is reviewed for high-level isotope production and labelled precurser synthesis with the medical cyclotron. The study of regional brain glucose metabolism represented the first extension of one of the methods of neurochemical autoradiography to humans and the study of brain protein synthesis and neurotransmitter receptors followed. In a more general sense, one PETT instrumentation will provide resolution in the 5 mm range is already emerging. Research status is reviewed. 103 references