The brain science of "psychic experience" is both fascinating and important. It generally is associated with a decrease in frontal lobe function (disinhibition) and increases or decreases in right temporal lobe function (similar to seizure phenomena). Many people who believe they are psychic try to hide it, because they are afraid they’ll be labeled as crazy, evil, or satanic. There are even some religious taboos against it. Yet, the Apostle Paul and other prophets had psychic experiences. Such experiences are more common after brain injuries, especially to the right brain hemisphere. Some people report feeling anxious if they try to suppress the psychic experience.

In one study, Brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans on 10 mediums (people who communicate with the dead) showed lower activity in the temporal lobes and frontal lobes when doing psychography (writing what the dead were saying). One speculation from the paper was that as overall frontal lobe function decreased, mediums were less inhibited in their abilities. In a similar manner, improvisational music performance is associated with lower levels of frontal lobe activity, which allows for more creative activity.

About 50 percent of patients who stop taking their antidepressant drugs wind up experiencing a symptom relapse within 6-18 months. Practitioners often point to this as a justification to encourage continual medication. But, internationally known brain health researcher Dr. Daniel Amen says this is a very flawed conclusion.

In the largest brain imaging study ever done, we compared the scans of 46,000 male and female brains using a study called SPECT, which looks at blood flow and activity patterns. Out of 80 areas tested, females were significantly more active in 70, which just explained my whole life – I have 5 sisters, 3 daughters and 14 nieces. These differences help us understand some of the unique strengths and vulnerabilities of the female brain and give us important clues on how to optimize it.

More than 1.5 million readers of Woman’s World magazines will get a glimpse of Dr. Amen’s new book “Unleash the Power of the Female Brain,” in its January issue that is on newsstands now.

“It’s one of the most exciting discoveries in medicine today,” said Dr. Amen who has published 55 scientifically peer reviewed studies and three specifically on his work with 135 active and retired NFL players. “I hope this message finds anyone who played contact sports like football, hockey, soccer, boxing so they can find help because their degenerative conditions can be reversed.”

Can you name a medical profession that prescribes medication or treatment without looking at the organ it treats? According to Daniel G. Amen, M.D., founder of Amen Clinics, Inc. psychiatry is the unfortunate answer, but he’s changing that.

Recently (June 2012), a new study titled “Specific Ways Brain SPECT Imaging Enhances Clinical Psychiatric Practice” was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – and it revealed how brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging can help clinicians more accurately diagnose and treat a wide variety of mental conditions by looking at the organ responsible for the decision-making, behaviors and overall cognitive functioning. To download a complete version of the published study, click here.

With Alzheimer’s disease approaching epidemic proportions and other forms of dementia likely to increase, researchers are studying the best ways to identify and treat the causes. A new study published in the journal CNS Spectrums, and conducted by Dr. Theodore Henderson, shows that brain SPECT neuroimaging is one of the most effective tools to diagnose dementia, and can often predate the onset of symptoms by 7-10 years.
 
The study, titled “The diagnosis and evaluation of dementia and mild cognitive impairment with emphasis on SPECT perfusion neuroimaging,” offers a thorough review of the diagnostic approaches to dementia. According to Daniel G. Amen, M.D., founder of Amen Clinics, Inc. “This is a study the medical and psychiatric community need to take note of as SPECT is one of the most practical tools to evaluate the risk for dementia.”
 
According to the report, as the world’s population ages so will the likelihood of dementia be on the rise. Over the next 15 years, roughly 32 million people will develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or dementia of some form and 156 million will have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to dementia.
 http://www.amenclinics.com/conditions-pro/memory-issues-pro

Distinguished psychiatrist, brain-imaging expert and five-time New York Times best-selling author Daniel G. Amen, M.D. announces today the opening of two Amen Clinics in Atlanta, Georgia and New York City, New York. The Amen Clinics locations are:

• 5901-C Peachtree Dunwoody NE, Suite 65, Atlanta, Georgia 30328
• 16 E. 40th St. Floor #9, New York City, NY 10016

Amen Clinics, Inc. (ACI) specialize in providing accurate diagnosis and effective treatments for a wide variety of psychiatric conditions as well as protocols and resources to optimize brain health. ACI reports very high success rates in complex patients suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, addiction, autism, toxic exposure, brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, even obesity. Amen Clinics also has new initiatives to help individuals and businesses optimize the brain health of employees to improve productivity, lower absenteeism, foster greater morale, and create a healthy work environment.