2007 Volume 76 Issue 4 Pages 375-382
A prototype of the next-generation PET (positron emission tomography) system geared toward high spatial resolution and high sensitivity has been developed for human brain study in collaboration with both the academic and industrial fields. We succeeded in developing a four-layer depth-of-interaction detector, which is the key technology of the next-generation PET. The next-generation PET system has a spatial resolution of less than 3 v mm over the entire field of view and a three times higher sensitivity than the conventional current PET scanner ; it is expected to clarify biological functions such as the pathophysiology of psychoneurological disorders or the physiological functions of the brain, using tracers in minute quantities.
