Cyclotron Research Centre

Research conducted at the Cyclotron Research Centre focuses on the biological basis of the cerebral processes in humans, using functional neuroimaging techniques:

Positron Emission Tomography (PET), electroencephalography (EEG), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and a brand new 3-Tesla functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) system.

We have a set of heavy equipment for PET (cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratories), which allows us to develop and produce radiopharmaceuticals labelled with a short-life radioisotope.

Radiopharmaceuticals for human use ( clinical study, Phase 1 or 2) are GMP produced. Radiopharmaceuticals include analogues of sugar and amino acids, specific ligands for enzymes and receptors. These radiopharmaceutical compounds are validated in small animals before they are used on humans.

Using these techniques, numerous researches are conducted in humans.

On the one hand, we actively investigate the patterns of regional cerebral blood flow which characterise various levels of consciousness and vigilance (conscious wakefulness, hypnotic state, sleep states, vegetative state, coma) and may be early markers of disabling degenerative disorders (for example, Alzheimer type dementia or corticobasal degenerative disease).

On the other hand, we investigate the functional neuroanatomy of cognitive and neuropsychological higher functions: implicit and explicit learning (while awake or while asleep), long term memory (procedural, episodic and spatial), executive systems (working memory and supervision systems), and upper limb praxis among other cognitive functions, both in normal and pathological populations. We currently try to merge the analysis of data obtained by using different techniques in order to improve the spatial and temporal accuracy of our model of cerebral functioning.