This helmet shows what's going on inside a person’s brain

Researchers say it could help detect Alzheimer’s and even explain why some people have exceptional talents

... Anyone who has had a PET scan knows that while it’s not an invasive procedure, it’s also not a particularly pleasant experience. Once your body is positioned within a large hole in the machine, while a scan is being done, you need to lie very still, often for as long as a half hour, sometimes even an hour, depending on what part of your body is being scanned.

Being forced to remain motionless for that long can be especially difficult for older people. It also measures brain activity in an artificial situation, when a person isn’t doing anything, including interacting with other people.

But what if you could make a PET scanner portable? What if a person could wear it? Read more.