Determining effects of external stimuli on the brain using PET

• US 6,569,403 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2000
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Abiant, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Miicro, Incorporated
• Inventors: Cooper, Malcolm D., Metz, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarvis, William R. A.
• Application Number:
  US09/551,330
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 424/9.4, 424/9.1, 424/9.2, 424/1.73
• US Class Current: 424/9.4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 51/0491 Sugars, nucleosides, nucleotides, oligonucleotides, nucleic acids, e.g. DNA, RNA, nucleic acid aptamers

Abstract

A method of evaluating the effects of administering an external stimuli or treatment such as a psychoactive compound, a drug, or an environmental influence like temperature, noise, vibration, light and similar sensory-perceived influences, on a subject'"'"'s brain using imaging techniques with positron emission tomography (PET). The method measures cerebral metabolism before and after administering the external stimuli or treatment, and employs a behavioral clamp to control behavioral influences on the subject'"'"'s brain after administration of the external stimuli or treatment.

Claims

1. A method for determining drug side effects including CNS changes arising from non-brain targeted pharmaceuticals, the method comprising:

(a) using positron emission tomography to measure cerebral metabolism of a patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s brain prior to any treatment with the non-brain targeted pharmaceutical;

(b) administering the non-brain targeted pharmaceutical to a patient or subject;

(c) controlling behavioral influences on the patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s brain;

(d) using positron emission tomography to measure cerebral metabolism of the patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s brain after administering the non-brain targeted pharmaceutical to the patient or subject while controlling behavioral influences on the patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s brain; and

(e) determining any differences between cerebral metabolism prior to administering the non-brain targeted pharmaceutical and cerebral metabolism after administering the non-brain targeted pharmaceutical.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein behavioral influences on the patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s brain is controlled with a behavioral clamp.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the behavioral clamp comprised a visual monitoring task (VMT).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of measuring the patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s mood both before and after administering the non-brain targeted pharmaceutical.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the patient'"'"'s or subject'"'"'s mood is measuring by administering a standard psychological test to the patient or subject.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the standard psychological test is a profile of mood states (POMS).