Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to Study Brain Signaling
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00044200. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Activation-Induced Signal Transduction in Human Brain
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
This study uses positron emission tomography (PET) to examine brain function and signaling involving phospholipids, and to see how signaling is related to blood flow. Much of the brain is composed of fatty molecules called phospholipids. These molecules are involved in the way brain cells signal each other to direct brain function. Brain disease may change phospholipids and disturb brain structure and signaling. Studies of brain phospholipid composition and metabolism may help clarify how the brain works in healthy people or stops working effectively in disease states. Healthy volunteers between 18 and 45 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination, and blood and urine tests. Participants undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET scanning as follows: MRI MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues and organs. For this procedure, the subject lies on a table that is moved into a metal cylinder (the scanner) and wears earplugs to muffle loud knocking and thumping sounds that occur during the scanning process. Scanning time varies from 20 minutes to 3 hours, with most scans lasting between 45 and 90 minutes. Subjects may be asked to lie still for up to 30 minutes at a time. PET For the PET scan, a catheter (thin plastic tube) is inserted into an artery in the subject's wrist or elbow crease to collect blood samples during the procedure, and a second catheter is placed in a vein in the opposite arm to inject radioactive tracers. The subject lies on the scanner bed, wearing a special facemask and goggles. The mask helps hold the head still during the scans, and the goggles either block all light or administer bright flashing lights. Radioactive water is injected into the vein, followed by a 1-minute PET scan to measure brain blood flow. This is repeated three more times. Then, a radioactive fatty acid is injected into the vein, followed by a 1-hour PET scan to measure brain phospholipid metabolism. This is repeated once. The images of blood flow and phospholipid metabolism in the different regions of the brain under the conditions of darkness and during visual stimulation provide information on how and where the brain responds to visual stimulation. The entire procedure takes about 3 hours.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT00044200
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Observational
- Phase
- Not listed
- Enrollment
- 20 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
Not listed
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 45 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Jan 10, 2000 (Type not available)
- Primary completion
- Not listed
- Completion
- Jun 12, 2015 (Type not available)
- Last update posted
- Jul 5, 2018
2000 – 2015
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike | Bethesda | Maryland | 20892 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00044200, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jul 5, 2018 · Synced Oct 8, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete public registry record, listed eligibility criteria, and available contact information for NCT00044200 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.