| It is essential in the analysis of emission computed tomography (ECT) scans of the living human brain to be able to reliably and objectively obtain regional quantitative data. Therefore, the following thesis describes new methods for the analysis of the regional distribution of radioactivity in brain ECT images, which reduces the variability inherent in observer guided region of interest placement.The methods developed here were then applied to the analysis of alterations in the regional cerebral perfusion patterns which are seen in neuro-psychiatric illness. Alzheimer's Dementia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and HIV Dementia were all found to have perfusion abnormalities compared to matched control groups.The analysis methods developed include the definition of a cortical ring for producing a "cortical circumferential profile" of the cortical distribution of radioactivity. This method treats the cortex as a continuous annulus on the outer brain rim. The outer boundary of the brain can be defined either manually, or using a matched, registered magnetic resonance image (MRI), which can also be used for analysis of discrete subcortical regions, a difficult task using ECT images alone. |
