Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 1, 2026
Infrared Thermography for the Detection of Changes in Brown Adipose Tissue Activity
Published on: September 28, 2022
Brown fat activity determined by infrared thermography and thermogenesis measurement using whole body calorimetry
S H Tay1, H J Goh, P Govindharajulu
1Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore. tay_shi_huan@u.duke.nus.edu.
Abstract:
To assess BAT activity in humans at a population level, infrared thermography (IRT) represents a safe, readily repeatable and affordable alternative to 18F-FDG-PET. Building upon a previously proposed method by our laboratory, we further refined the image computational algorithm to quantify BAT activation in the cervical-supraclavicular (C-SCV) region of healthy young men under thermo-neutral and cold exposure conditions. Additionally, we validated the whole-body calorimeter (WBC) in reliably measuring cold-induced thermogenesis. The temperature gradient between C-SCV-deltoid regions, and the corresponding difference in heat power output, increased upon cold air exposure relative to thermo-neutral conditions (by 74.88 %, p<0.0001; and by 71.34 %, p<0.0001 respectively). Resting and cumulative energy expenditure (EE) rose significantly (by 13.14 % and 9.12 % respectively, p=0.0001) while positive correlations between IRT measures and EE were found with cold air exposure (percentage change in heat power gradient between ROI and deltoid, cold air: r(2)=0.29, p=0.026, Pearson's correlation). IRT and WBC can be used to study BAT activation. The refined algorithm allows for more automation and objectivity in IRT data analysis, especially under cold air exposures.
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04:54Using a Combination of Indirect Calorimetry, Infrared Thermography, and Blood Glucose Levels to Measure Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis in Humans
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10:30Whole Body and Regional Quantification of Active Human Brown Adipose Tissue Using 18F-FDG PET/CT
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