2026-06-02T01:05:55Zhttps://docta.ucm.es/rest/oai/request

oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1106742025-03-18T15:30:37Zcom_20.500.14352_14col_20.500.14352_15

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Arias Valcayo, Fernando author Galve Lahoz, Pablo author Udías Moinelo, José Manuel author Vaquero, Juan José author Desco, Manuel author López Herraiz, Joaquín author 2023-11-15 Preclinical PET animal studies require immobilization of the animal, typically accomplished through the administration of anesthesia, which may affect the radiotracer biodistribution. The use of 18 F point sources attached to the rat head is one of the most promising methods for motion compensation in awake rat PET studies. However, the presence of radioactive markers may degrade image quality. In this study, we aimed to investigate the most favorable conditions for preclinical PET studies using awake rats with attached point sources. Firstly, we investigate the optimal activity conditions for the markers and rat-injected tracer using Monte Carlo simulations to determine the parameters of maximum detectability without compromising image quality. Additionally, we scrutinize the impact of delayed window correction for random events on marker detectability and overall image quality within these studies. Secondly, we present a method designed to mitigate the influence of rapid rat movements, which resulted in a medium loss of events of around 30%, primarily observed during the initial phase of the data acquisition. We validated our study with PET acquisitions from an awake rat within the acceptable conditions of activity and motion compensation parameters. This acquisition revealed an 8% reduction in resolution compared to a sedated animal, along with a 6% decrease in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These outcomes affirm the viability of our method for conducting awake preclinical brain studies. Arias-Valcayo, F.; Galve, P.; Manuel Udías, J.; Vaquero, J.J.; Desco, M.; Herraiz, J.L. Optimizing Point Source Tracking in Awake Rat PET Imaging: A Comprehensive Study of Motion Detection and Best Correction Conditions. Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 12329. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212329 2076-3417 10.3390/app132212329 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110674 https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212329 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/22/12329 Optimizing Point Source Tracking in Awake Rat PET Imaging: A Comprehensive Study of Motion Detection and Best Correction Conditions