Applications of Positron Emission Tomography in Neuropsychiatric Pharmaceutical Drug Development

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can be used to quantify proteins of interest in the brain, assess the function of these proteins, and quantify cerebral glucose metabolism and blood flow. Its value in neuropsychiatric pharmaceutical drug development is extensive, from the identification of relevant pathophysiology in disease states, to measurement of blood-brain barrier penetration and regional cerebral occupancy of a pharmaceutical agent, to predictions of treatment outcome from a specific pharmacologic intervention in a specific patient. In this paper, we briefly review some basics of brain imaging using PET, and describe its applications to the field of neuropsychiatric pharmaceutical development, including relevant examples from the existing literature. We conclude with a discussion of future developments that will make PET increasingly available and useful for such purposes.