Identification and quantification of human brown adipose tissue

Abstract

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has attracted significant interest as a potential target tissue against obesity and its associated metabolic perturbations. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of some of the methodological approaches that can be used to identify and quantify BAT in people. Specifically, we will provide a step-by-step description of the following procedures: quantification of BAT in vivo using positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoroglucose (18F-FDG) as a tracer, mitochondrial respiration, and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene and protein expression.