Novel brain imaging platform combines upright PET and AR eye tracking to advance cognitive disorder research

A cutting-edge brain imaging platform that integrates upright PET scanning, an augmented reality (AR) headset, and motion tracking enables researchers to study brain function in a more natural and dynamic way. Presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting, the new system-called Motion-tracked Immersive functional PET (MIf-PET)-allows participants to sit upright and interact with immersive tasks during scans. This approach offers a more realistic view of brain activity and holds promise for earlier and more accurate detection of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Humans naturally interact with and perceive the world in an upright position, which is linked to increased sympathetic nervous system activity-an advantage when performing tasks. Despite this, most neuroscience research relies on functional neuroimaging conducted while participants lie motionless in a supine position, limiting the ecological validity of brain activity measurements.

“To overcome this limitation, my colleagues and I developed MIf-PET-a system designed to assess brain behavior and function in an upright position, allowing task-based neuroimaging to be conducted in a more natural posture without the constraints of head immobilization,” said Zipai Wang, a research associate at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, New York.

The study tested two types of tasks to measure brain activity: an anti-saccade task, which evaluates eye movement control, and a “face oddball” task, designed to observe how the brain reacts to familiar versus unexpected faces. Participants viewed a mix of standard, target, and novel faces through an AR headset which collected eye-tracking data, At the same time, functional PET imaging was performed to capture detailed brain activity.

Analysis of pupil size and blinking patterns over time showed clear changes related to the tasks. Both novel and target faces triggered pupil dilation, with the most pronounced response occurring during target face presentations. This heightened response reflects increased cognitive load and attentional engagement elicited by novel face presentations.

“This new approach is especially useful for studying how the brain supports thinking, attention, and memory,” said Wang. “It focuses on a small but critical region deep in the brainstem called the locus coeruleus (LC), which is essential for maintaining alertness but is difficult to visualize using traditional imaging methods. Because the LC regulates pupil size, its activity can be inferred through eye movement tracking.”

“By combining high-resolution brain imaging with eye tracking and immersive, upright cognitive tasks, the MIf-PET system provides a more direct and dynamic view of this key brain region and its role in cognitive disorders,” added Amirhossein Goldan, PhD, associate professor of electrical engineering in radiology and principal investigator of the project at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, NY.

This technology is currently being developed under a grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers are currently constructing the upright PET scanner and testing the system with healthy volunteers and early-stage Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients. The first prototype is expected to be ready for imaging human subjects in 2027.

Reference:

Zipai Wang, Wanbin Tan, Gloria Chiang and Amirhossein Goldan, Integrating fPET Imaging with AR-Based Eye Tracking: A Novel Platform for Brain Function Assessment, Journal of Nuclear Medicine.