PET RAT

摘要

I'm an instrument builder, mostly, and I work on positron-emission tomography devices: PET. Doctors use them to look for cancer, but neuroscientists use them too. In studies with lab rats, they inject a mildly radioactive substance into the rat, and the PET scan measures the gamma rays the substance gives off. This tells researchers what part of the brain the substance is in and what parts are active. In the scanner, gamma rays collide with solid particles. This gives off light that is then detected by photo sensors.