PET scans are especially valuable in imaging the brain. They are used in medicine to diagnose brain tumors and strokes, and to locate the origins of epileptic activity; in psychiatry to examine brain function in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses; and in neuropsychology to study such brain functions and capabilities as speech, reading, memory, and dreaming.
Imaging technique used in diagnosis and biomedical research. A chemical compound labeled with a radioactive isotope (see radioactivity) that emits positrons is injected into the body, and detectors measure their activity in the tissues as they combine with electrons and are annihilated. Computers analyze, integrate, and reconstruct the data to produce images of the organs scanned. PET is particularly useful for studying brain and heart functions.
Learn more about positron emission tomography (PET) with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Any animal kept by humans for companionship or pleasure rather than for utility. The main distinction between pets and domesticated livestock is the degree of contact between owner and animal. Another distinction is the owner's affection for the animal, which is often returned. Dogs are known to have been kept as pets since prehistoric times; cats, since the 16th century BC; and horses, since at least 2000 BC. Other common pets include birds, rabbits, rodents, raccoons, reptiles, amphibians, and even insects. The trend toward making pets of exotic animals (e.g., monkeys and ocelots) is worrisome because owners can rarely provide for their needs, and the animals' already precarious populations are further depleted when members are sold for pets.
Learn more about pet with a free trial on Britannica.com.
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