Tomographic mapping of human cerebral metabolism: normal unstimulated state.

Positron computed tomography (PCT) and F-18 2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) were used to study the living human brain in coronal and transverse sections. Scans taken at 1-cm intervals in both directions clearly delineated the cerebral substructures (e.g., cortical areas, basal ganglia, internal capsule, and cerebellum). A compartmental model was used to calculate local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose from the images. Values agreed well with previous global and local human values and demonstrated metabolic symmetry of the left and right hemispheres at rest. Baseline anatomic maps such as these are a necessary prelude to the study of human brain metabolism in stimulated and pathologic states.