---Brain SPECT Imaging — Why?
There is much talk in mental health circles these days about the benefits of using brain imaging to help people suffering with anxiety, mood disorders, ADD, brain injuries and addictions. I’ve often wondered why psychiatrists are the only physicians who rarely look at the organ they treat — the brain! After all, the brain affects everything you do, think and feel.
As a physician, my goal is the same as that of my patients. I want them to feel better, find answers and lasting relief from their struggle. After viewing hundreds of SPECT scans of my patients, I’ve concluded SPECT is a very helpful tool in diagnosing and planning treatment. I always encourage my patients to explore every avenue of healing ... from biological, psychological, social and spiritual perspectives. I’ve found SPECT Imaging gives us a great picture of what’s really happening in the brain.
Why SPECT? Many of the patients I see have grown weary of the “mental health merry-go-round.” They’ve seen a number of therapists and doctors and are constantly adjusting medications and treatment plans with little or marginal success. Because psychiatric disorders are so complicated and because the brain is so complicated it’s sometimes hard to know what medications, natural supplements or diet and other changes will be most beneficial. SPECT helps us “zero-in” on the center of the target.
For example, if you have a struggle with ADD a physician will often prescribe a stimulant, since many people with ADD symptoms have low activity and blood flow in the front part of their brain. Sometimes this treatment works really well — and sometimes it’s a disaster. Some people with ADD symptoms actually have too much activity in the front part of their brain and putting them on a stimulant makes them much worse. A SPECT scan gives better information to design treatment that helps, not hurts.
SPECT is an acronym for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography. SPECT measures cerebral blood flow and activity patterns. We see which parts of your brain are working well and which are not. Unlike a CT or MRI, which are anatomical scans, a SPECT scan shows the function of your brain. SPECT imaging is very safe and is also used to diagnose certain heart, thyroid, bone and tumor conditions. It was first used to help diagnose psychiatric disorders over 20 years ago.
Since then brain imaging in mental health has grown in use and wide-spread acceptance. In 2005 the nation’s top psychiatrist and Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Thomas Insel, M.D., said... Brain imaging in clinical practice is the next major advance in psychiatry! I want my patents to have the most effective, modern care available.
Another reason SPECT Imaging is becoming popular in psychiatric use is that the radiopharmaceutical used for injection before a SPECT scan is quickly absorbed or “fixed” in your brain and stays that way for several hours. This gives us a more accurate picture of what was happening in your brain when you were injected, not when you’re lying on the camera table, which can be a poor reflection of your normal brain function.
We can have you perform a concentration test when injected to see what your brain does when concentrating or we can have you at complete rest. Believe it or not, some people’s brains actually have lower activity when they’re trying to concentrate. You’ve probably heard people say things like “the harder I try the more confused I get.” It may very well be that their brain shuts down when they concentrate — that’s more common than you might think it would be.
SPECT scans are also invaluable at ruling out conditions that are often overlooked but may have a tremendous impact on behavior. Brain tumors, small strokes, Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injuries can be seen on SPECT scans. Anxiety, Obsessive-compulsive disorder,depression, memory issues, anger and many other struggles can have their roots in these brain issues.
Just seeing your own SPECT scan gives you great insight into why you do what you do and often will motivate you to make changes in behavior and comply with treatment recommendations. For example, if you were to see that your brain had unusually high activity patterns that were associated with panic disorders and you struggle with panic attacks, you’d likely be more confident in your doctor’s diagnosis. In my experience, the more confident you are that the diagnosis is right, the more likely you are to follow you doctor’s treatment recommendations. I’ve observed that patients are fascinated and motivated by looking at pictures of what’s actually happening in their brain. It is eye-opening to say the least!
