What is it about?
Thermal imaging measures the heat of objects and shows this information as an image. We can measure the heat signature of the skin around the neck to understand the activity of the brown fat. Brown fat is good fat which burns sugars and fats to make heat.
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Why is it important?
Traditionally brown fat is measured using a special imaging method called PET-CT. This requires radiation which means it is not suitable to use on large groups of people or repeatedly on the same person. Thermal imaging is quicker and safer. This means it is possible to get new information about brown fat that was not previously possible.
Perspectives
I've used the opportunity to right this article to bring together a lot of the information I've learnt over the last few years as I've been developing the methods used to measure brown fat with thermal cameras, and to look at the way different groups use the similar technique. I hope it's useful therefore both for experienced researchers in the field and people who are new to it.
Dr James Law
University of Nottingham
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The use of infrared thermography in the measurement and characterization of brown adipose tissue activation, Temperature, November 2017, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/23328940.2017.1397085.
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