The relation of proton activation of brain to cerebral blood flow

The interaction of brain with high energy protons produces positron emitting nuclides. The present study examines the response of the decay events to oxygen-15 induced by such activation in brain to alterations of cerebral blood flow as measured by a limited angle planar positron camera. Decay events correlate directly to the cerebral blood flow. The interaction of brain with high energy protons appears to offer an alternative means for the delivery of a freely diffusible tracer into brain.