PET Biomarkers in Psychiatry

Abstract

Positron-emission tomography (PET) is an important tool that allows us to see in vivo biochemical processes in the brain. PET imaging studies in neuropsychiatry advance our understanding of the role of neurotransmitters, functional anatomy, neuroinflammation, and synaptic density in pathological conditions. While PET studies are limited by small sample sizes, lack of standard data quantification, and inadequacy of radiotracers, the recent trends towards data-sharing, standardized quantification, and the development of new radiotracers are promising.