by Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D.What are we without our brains? Our highly developed brain is the most distinctive difference we have from other living things, yet our modern way of life is threatening its integrity and longevity. SPECT imaging is a nifty technique for checking just how well the noggin is working, and is safe and convenient. I’m convinced that just about everyone would benefit from a SPECT brain workup.
SPECT stands for Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography. A small amount of a highly energized but nontoxic substance is painlessly injected via a vein into the arm. Within about 15 minutes it becomes distributed throughout the brain tissue, with the more metabolically active areas picking up more of it. Then the subject is comfortably positioned with head close to a highly sensitive detection machine (no claustrophobic tunnel involved). In less than 15 minutes a 3-dimensional energetic scan of the whole brain is generated. The data are processed into beautiful color pictures that you can show your friends. SPECT pictures reveal a lot about the brain’s wellness, balance and personal talents. By itself SPECT is not suitable to detect or indicate disease, but it is valuable to assist with diagnosis. The well-trained SPECT team, assembled around a qualified physician, begins by taking an extremely detailed medical history. First comes a long questionnaire, then an in-depth personal interview, and these are later integrated with the SPECT pictures and other laboratory or test history to generate an in-depth, customized and confidential report.
There are two main types of SPECT pictures. The surface profiles represent healthy areas of the brain as smooth, and holes or gaps represent “dropout”—zones that are abnormally underactive (Fig. 1, compare a with b). The 3-dimensional color maps represent zones of “average” activity as blue and those that are highly active as red (see Fig. 1, e and f ). Both these picture types are true functional scans of the working brain. Sometimes scans are done with the subject concentrating, then relaxed, to bring out brain performance under “stress.”
Trained physicians interpret the pictures, carefully checking out the zones that are underactive, overactive or “asymmetric” (out of synch, for example, between the left side and the right). They draw meaningful clinical conclusions from correlating zones of abnormal function with reports of abnormal behavior or other symptoms disclosed on the medical history. They then recommend medical and/or personal measures that address the underlying causes of the problems. Perhaps equally important is that once the subject has seen his or her own brain’s pictures, s/he is more motivated to make positive changes.
SPECT is really good for rooting out behavioral-cognitive problems such as poor attention span, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, poor impulse control, persistent negative thoughts, obsessions and compulsions. Mood conditions such as major depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), anxiety disorders and PMS (premenstrual syndrome, Fig. 1 e also produce characteristic SPECT patterns. The technique has proven uniquely valuable for probing violent behavior, and for thousands of these subjects SPECT may have saved their lives.
SPECT also has been lifesaving in classical neurologic conditions such as brain trauma, Alzheimer’s (Fig. 1 b), stroke and epilepsy. Injury previously undetected can be functionally defined, as can more subtle abnormalities throughout the brain. Each brain exhibits an individual pattern of functional variation from zone to zone.
For the “hard” neurological conditions, insurance companies and the government will often cover most of the cost; other “softer” conditions not traditionally seen as neurological will sometimes be reimbursed if appropriate medical codes are used.
So, should you have SPECT done? Well, if you’re 18–22 years old, even-tempered, sunny personality, never fell down the stairs or off a bike; never had a drink in your life, never smoked, always lived in the country, always drank unpolluted water, always ate organic foods . . . maybe you have a perfect brain and don’t need SPECT. Most people aren’t so lucky.
I had my SPECT workup done by a highly competent team in northern California, working at one of the Amen clinics (of which there are now three, with another two qualified affiliates). Beginning in 1989, these clinics were founded by Dr. Daniel Amen and they now have the world’s largest database of brain imaging studies for behavioral problems. Through his eloquent lectures, books, videos and audiocassettes, Dr. Amen sends the message that SPECT is a safe, convenient and accurate means for objectively assessing how well your brain is serving you.
My Amen Clinic workup was managed by Dr. Brian Halevie-Goldman, who is thoroughly familiar with nutritional, pharmacological and functional-wholistic approaches to brain restoration. I was greatly impressed by the .ndings and by his recommendations. The pictures in Fig. 1, a–f are representative of the thousands of subjects served by the Amen team.
Drs. Amen, Goldman and colleagues have published in the peer reviewed scientific journals on their findings gleaned from thousands of patients and their successes in helping to fix a diverse range of human problems. One particularly touching topic is juveniles (and adults) prone to anger outbursts and violence. Often these have temporal lobe dysfunction that can be controlled. Many of these subjects, once they have seen pictures of their brains, agree to comply with appropriate medical management and are restored to healthy, nonviolent functioning over a one to three year period. One little boy was giving lots of trouble until SPECT found his temporal lobe functionally absent—squished by a large cyst. Once this was successfully removed using surgery, the boy’s behavior came into balance.
Similar success has come from SPECT for children (and grown-ups) with ADHD and other learning problems, women with PMS, middle-aged and elderly people with mood disorders, stroke or dementia. SPECT, in conjunction with other assessments, can sometimes foresee progression to dementia. On the bright side, preliminary SPECT data suggests favorable changes occur in the brain when people meditate or pray (as in religion). Further research is being done on this topic, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation.
We all know the health care system is sick, but there are interesting options available. One is the federal Medical Savings Insurance (MSA) program that allows taxpayers to pay for health care of their choice and write off a substantial portion of the cost. I’ve been using mine to have baselines done—scans, scopes, other tests that could give advance warning of potential problems. The more baselines, the better.
also provide you with a brain baseline. Once you know your areas of weakness, you can do lots of things to get that circuitry back on track. Then after a while you can have the SPECT repeated to chart your progress and give yourself a pat on the back.
My personal SPECT experience motivated me to put my brain stem cells to work. Along with my basic vitamins and minerals, I will be taking hefty doses of omega-3s, antioxidants and the brainrebuilder nutrients GPC (glycerophosphocholine) and PS (phosphatidyl serine). I’ll continue to be careful with my diet. I’ll get a mercury detox done. I’ll keep going to the gym. I’ll meditate. And I’ll visualize SPECT.
Resources:The Amen Clinics,www.AmenClinics.com;
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