Imaging of Brown Adipose Tissue: State of the Art.
The rates of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disease have reached epidemic proportions worldwide. In recent years there has been renewed interest in combating these diseases not only by modifying energy intake and lifestyle factors, but also by inducing endogenous energy expenditure. This approach has largely been stimulated by the recent recognition that brown adipose tissue (BAT)-long known to promote heat production and energy expenditure in infants and hibernating mammals-also exists in adult humans. This landmark finding relied on the use of clinical fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and imaging techniques continue to play a crucial and increasingly central role in understanding BAT physiology and function. Herein, the authors review the origins of BAT imaging, discuss current preclinical and clinical strategies for imaging BAT, and discuss imaging methods that will provide crucial insight into metabolic disease and how it may be treated by modulating BAT activity. (©) RSNA, 2016.
From Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioimaging, Department of Pharmacology, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, Calif (Srihari Sampath, Srinath Sampath); Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 6E, Boston, MA 02114 (M.B., M.T.); and Translational Physiology Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md (A.M.C.).
Srihari C
SC
Sampath
From Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioimaging, Department of Pharmacology, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, Calif (Srihari Sampath, Srinath Sampath); Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 6E, Boston, MA 02114 (M.B., M.T.); and Translational Physiology Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md (A.M.C.).
Srinath C
SC
Sampath
From Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioimaging, Department of Pharmacology, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, Calif (Srihari Sampath, Srinath Sampath); Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 6E, Boston, MA 02114 (M.B., M.T.); and Translational Physiology Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md (A.M.C.).
Miriam A
MA
Bredella
From Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioimaging, Department of Pharmacology, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, Calif (Srihari Sampath, Srinath Sampath); Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 6E, Boston, MA 02114 (M.B., M.T.); and Translational Physiology Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md (A.M.C.).
Aaron M
AM
Cypess
From Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioimaging, Department of Pharmacology, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, Calif (Srihari Sampath, Srinath Sampath); Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 6E, Boston, MA 02114 (M.B., M.T.); and Translational Physiology Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md (A.M.C.).
Martin
M
Torriani
D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18