Constant Infusion Radiotracer Administration for High Temporal Resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) of the Human Brain: Application to [18F]-Fluorodexoyglucose PET (FDG-PET)

The temporal resolution and signal-to-noise of the FDG-fPET images is critically dependent upon the administration of the radioactive tracer. In this work we present two alternative continuous infusion protocols and compare them to a traditional bolus approach. We detail a method for acquiring blood samples, time-locking PET, MRI and experimental stimulus, and administrating the non-traditional tracer delivery. By applying a visual stimulus, we demonstrate cortical maps of the glucose-response to external stimuli on an individual level with a temporal resolution of 16-seconds.