PET SCANNER KNOWS WHERE YOU THINK 

(Editor's note: In the beginning computers could only communicate in capital letters. This is one of 20 columns from Dr. Tomorrow's original series, included here to indicate change as well as describe it. Those columns also hold another story, that change is swift and offers both disaster and opportunity.)

NOW THAT WE HAVE EXPLORED MOST DESERTS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS AND VALLEYS ON THIS PLANET, WE LOOK TO NEW FRONTIERS.

ONE OF THESE IS SPACE. BUT WE KNOW MORE ABOUT OUTER SPACE THROUGH THE USE OF OUR OPTICAL AND RADIO TELESCOPES AND RECENT SPACE FLIGHTS THAN WE DO OF A MORE MYSTERIOUS TERRAIN CLOSER TO HOME. THE HUMAN BRAIN.

THIS NEW LAND HAS IT'S OWN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS AND MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR, LOCATIONS JUST AS DANGEROUS AND FORBIDDING TO THE NEW AGE EXPLORER AS A REMOTE PLANET.

WHAT'S MORE THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL IDENTITIES IN THIS WORLD ARE FAR MORE NUMEROUS THAN ALL THE PEOPLE ON EARTH.

OUR BRAIN IS THE MOST VITAL OF ORGANS. ALTHOUGH IT WEIGHS BUT 2 PERCENT OF OUR BODILY WEIGHT IT CONSUMES 20 PERCENT OF OUR ENERGY. THAT POWERS A LOT OF BRAIN COMPUTER TIME.

INSIDE THE BRAIN IS THE MIND. AT LEAST THAT IS TODAY'S NEWEST "FACT". AT ONE TIME WE THOUGHT THE MIND WAS IN THE STOMACH. THEN IN THE HEART. TODAY WE THINK IT IS INSIDE THE HEAD.

ALTHOUGH THE MIND MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO CONTINUE TO EXIST WE HAVE ONLY RECENTLY BEGAN TO EXPLORE A FEW ISOLATED SHORES IN THIS STRANGE ELECTROCHEMICAL WORLD THAT PROVIDES THE POWER TO THINK.

THANKS TO RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS PREVIOUSLY BELIEVED IMPOSSIBLE, WE CAN NOW IN MANY WAYS SEE HOW WE THINK.

SCIENTISTS HAVE PRODUCED, VIA AN EXPENSIVE ASSORTMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES CALLED A CYCLETRON -- RADIO-ACTIVE ISOTOPES. THESE ARE ELEMENTS OF SIMILAR COMPOSITION BUT HAVING DIFFERENT ATOMIC WEIGHTS.

WHEN INJECTED INTO A HUMAN VEIN (MINE) AS IS SHOWN HERE - IT WILL ALLOW ANOTHER MODERN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGICAL MIRACLE -- THE POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHIC (PET) SCANNER -- TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE THIS PARTICULAR BRAIN AS IT HAPPENS!

LONG A BELIEVER IN DIRECT EXPERIENCE I BECAME A PART OF A CONTROL GROUP TO EXPLORE THIS MOST IMPORTANT TERRITORY. IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT THE HELP OF A "COMPUTERIZED CAMEL" TO PENETRATE THE LANDSCAPE.

DR. DONALD CALNE, OF THE DIVISION OF NEUROLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIAS HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTRE AND DR. BRIAN PATE, DIRECTOR OF THE PET PROGRAM WERE MY GUIDES. THEIR USUAL SCANS ARE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS AND ANALYSE DAMAGE DONE BY SUCH DISEASES AS PARKINSON'S, ALTZEIMER'S AND THE LATEST FIELD KNOWN AS DYSTONIAS. THE PET UNIT SHOWN HERE IS ONE OF THE FIRST THREE SUCH MACHINES IN THE WORLD.

FIRST A SLOW INJECTION OF THE RADIO ISOTOPE FLUORODOPA. IT TAKES ABOUT 20 MINUTES FOR THE RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL TO COLLECT IN THE HUMAN BRAIN CELLS.

OUTWARDLY, THE SUBJECT SHOULD APPEAR AND FEEL NORMAL. INSIDE THE LIGHTS ARE CHANGING, BUT ONLY THE COMPUTER CAN SEE THEM! THE PROCEDURE ITSELF IS PAINLESS AND ALMOST BORING.

THE PET SCANNER LOOKS LIKE AN EXPENSIVE OVERSIZED AND HORIZONTAL HAIR DRYER. ITS NET RESULT IS IMPRESSIVE. SIMILAR TO A RADIO TELESCOPE THAT "SEES" THE STARS, THE PET SCANNER HAS THE POWER TO SEE WHAT IS OPTICALLY INVISIBLE. IN THIS MANNER IT DIFFERS FROM THE CAT SCANNER WHICH IS SEEN IN MOST MAJOR HOSPITALS TODAY OR THE MODERN MAGNETIC RESONANCE SCANNER. BOTH OF THESE SEE INSIDE THE CRANIUM BUT CAN NOT DISCERN IF THE BRAIN IS ACTUALLY FUNCTIONING. THEY SEE THE TERRITORY BUT CAN NOT DETERMINE IF THERE IS ACTUALLY LIFE THERE.

WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE ON IS ALL DONE BY THE MACHINE AND RELAYED TO THE COMPUTER BANK. THE BRAIN IS 'SLICED' ELECTRONICALLY AND THE RESULTING PICTURE APPEARS ON THE VARIOUS VIDEO MONITORS AS THE IMAGE SEEN BY MY "COMPUTERIZED CAMEL". THESE MONITORS WERE LOCATED BOTH IN THE ROOM THAT CONTAINED THE PET SCANNER AND AN ADJOINING ROOM WHERE OTHER RESEARCH STAFF WERE CONTROLLING THE COMPUTER AND MONITORING THE REAL TIME RESULTS.

BRAIN ACTIVITY SHOWS UP AS COLOR ILLUMINATED AREAS. THIS IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE BRAIN USINGUP THE NOW RADIO-ACTIVE GLUCOSE, THE BRAIN SUGAR THAT IS SO NECESSARY FOR REGULAR BRAIN FUNCTIONING.

MEDICAL STAFF IS NOW INTERPRETING BOTH DAMAGED BRAINS AND SO-CALLED NORMALS (LIKE ME) AS A BASE LINE OR CONTROL GROUP AGAINST WHICH TO COMPARE HEALTHY VERSUS DISEASED OR DAMAGED BRAINS. MAN CAN NOW SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE THE HEAD WITHOUT RESORTING TO SURGERY.

SURGERY MAY BE THE ONLY RECOURSE FOR A BRAIN INJURED IN A CAR ACCIDENT BUT NOW DOCTORS HAVE A CLEARER PATH TO GET TO THE DAMAGED PORTION. THE PET SCANNER ALSO PAINTS A CLEARER PICTURE OF DISEASE DAMAGED BRAINS.

X-RAYS WERE A BIG ADVANCE TO SEE WITHIN THE FLESHIER PORTIONS OF OUR ANATOMY. NOW WE CAN DELVE NOT ONLY INTO DAMAGED BRAINS BUT ALSO INTO THE MENTAL PROCESS OF HEALTHY BRAINS. WE CAN LITERALLY SEE OURSELVES THINKING!

THE IMPLICATIONS, ONCE WE UNDERSTAND MORE FULLY WHAT WE ARE SEEING THROUGH THE PET SCANNER, WILL BE TREMENDOUS.

MORE INFORMATION:

EILEEN WALSH, IMAGING RESEARCH CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, 2211 WESBROOK MALL, VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA V6T 2B5.

PHONE: (604) 228-7710

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