PET Talks: "A Lifetime of Imaging Brain Receptors: Has it Been Worth it?"

Abstract: In 1983 I published my first papers on the viability of in‐vivo imaging of the benzodiazepine/GABA‐A receptor in rats and the effects of stress on these. This set me off on a quest to do the same in humans –not just for these receptors but for as many other brain neurotransmitter receptors as we could. We have had significant successes but also significant failures. In my lifetime in research the predicted dominance of PET as THE tool for studying brain mechanisms in psychiatry and neurology has not been realized, so many of the goals I and other enthusiasts had hoped for have not been achieved. My talk will reflect on some notable successes and also the reasons for failure and suggest ways the next generation of researchers can improve the situation.