Abstract: Noninvasive quantification of regional cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (rCMRO2) with positron emission tomography (PET) and tracer-kinetic principles provides a powerful tool to study normal brain function and pathophysiology of diseases. Some of the key techniques during quantification of rCMRO2, including the measurement of regional oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF), regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV), are reviewed in detai.