A Chance to Really See Yourself
by Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D.
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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.
| Figure 1. Representative SPECT scans, all with front of the head facing down (reproduced with
permission from Images of Human Behavior, ©Daniel G. Amen, M.D. 2003). |
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| a. Top view, healthy | b. Top view, Alzheimer’s |
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| c. Bottom view, healthy | d. Bottom view, marijuana
(3 years use) |
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| e. 3-D view, healthy | f. 3-D view, premenstrual
syndrome |
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.
As it did for me, SPECT would 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; their educational interactive Web site,
Brainplace.com;
Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation Intl,
www.alzheimersprevention.org;
Parris Kidd, Ph.D., www.dockidd.com.
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