"Molecular Imaging"

Dr. Phelps´s research interests are in the areas of biological imaging and neurosciences. His research focuses on the merger of biology and imaging to provide the means to examine molecular and cellular function in tissue cultures, as well as integrated organ function in animals and humans. These biological imaging assays are developed and integrated into biology and pharmacology based problems. Autoradiographic studies of cerebral metabolism, protein synthesis and gene expression are used in animals to study brain maturation, neuronal plasticity and compensatory reorganization to disease or injury. The anatomical expression of novel connections due to brain lesions promoting compensatory reorganization of the brain is determined by anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques, and their neurotrophic basis by in situ hybridization and gene knock-out techniques. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is employed to map out gene expression, metabolic maturation, responses to select stimuli and learning, as well as compensatory reorganization of the brain in mice, monkeys and children. PET is also used to study the biological basis of human disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s, as well as alterations in neurochemical function by cocaine and methamphetamine.