Memory Rescue Program

For memory loss patients, traditional doctors may order MRI or CT scans, which look at the structural integrity of the brain. We use functional imaging studies called SPECT that provide critical information.

SPECT can:

Our comprehensive evaluation protocol also identifies which of the 11 most important risk factors affecting memory you have. Knowing your risk factors is critical to finding the best solutions for your memory issues.

Blood Flow: Low blood flow is the #1 brain-imaging risk for Alzheimer’s.
Retirement/Aging: When you stop learning, your brain starts dying.
Inflammation: The internal fire that destroys your mind.
Genetics: Family history of dementia is not a death sentence but a wakeup call to get serious about brain health.
Head Trauma: The silent epidemic that impacts memory.
Toxins: Exposure to everyday toxins can take a toll on recall.
Mental Health: Psychiatric conditions can steal your mind.
Immunity/Infection: Chronic issues contribute to brain fog.
Neurohormone Issues: Hormonal imbalances drain brain function.
Diabesity: Obesity and diabetes increase risk of Alzheimer’s.
Sleep: Sleep issues dull memory.

Depending on your needs, your Amen Clinics team may include our memory-trained Neuro-Psychiatrists, Functional and Integrative Practitioners, Nutrition Experts, and others—all of whom will offer complete wraparound care to support you throughout the program. Your team of highly trained experts will also provide you with helpful guidelines to support and protect your memory for your lifetime.

At Amen Clinics, we understand that memory loss is not the same in each person. That’s why a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment will never work. Our Memory Rescue BRIGHT MINDS Program offers a personalized treatment plan for your individual needs that may include the following solutions:

To help you stay on track, assess your progress, and help you reach your brain health and memory goals, our Memory Rescue BRIGHT MINDS Program includes helpful coaching and follow-up care. With this comprehensive, wraparound program, you can start improving your memory today and help preserve it for the rest of your life. The program includes:

Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60%-80% of dementia cases. Approximately 5.8 million people in the U.S are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and that number is expected to nearly triple by the year 2050. Its signature brain pattern is low activity (blood flow) in the posterior cingulate gyrus, parietal lobes, and temporal lobes. In later stages of Alzheimer’s, the low activity often extends into other areas of the brain, including the frontal lobes.

Research has shown that SPECT imaging can identify the abnormally low blood flow pattern of Alzheimer’s disease up to 9 years before the onset of noticeable symptoms. This capacity of SPECT imaging is particularly valuable for people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.

Common Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease:

Frontotemporal dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the function of the frontal lobes and temporal lobes, as its name suggests. This disease causes decreased blood flow and low activity in these important areas of the brain that are in charge of thinking, behaving, and memory.

The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration estimates that 10-20% of people with dementia have this type. People with frontotemporal dementia often develop it in their 50s and 60s, although earlier onset is possible. Sometimes this type of dementia is incorrectly diagnosed as late onset bipolar disorder because some of the symptoms look similar. It’s so important to know what is really going on by looking at the brain. The SPECT images for these two disorders are vastly different.

Common Symptoms in Frontotemporal dementia:

Alcohol-Related Dementia is caused by excessive use or abuse of alcohol. Alcohol is toxic to the brain, thus heavy long-term use impairs brain function over time, making the brain vulnerable to a degenerative process. With SPECT imaging, we will typically see a widespread pattern of low blood flow in the brain.

It is also thought that vitamin deficiencies (especially a lack of thiamine), which are commonly found in people who abuse alcohol, play an important role in alcohol-related dementia.

Common Symptoms of Alcohol-Related Dementia:

Brain changes associated with vascular dementia are seen in approximately 40% of dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This type of dementia occurs as a result of diseases and conditions that inflame or damage blood vessels and consequently restrict blood flow in the brain. These include:

With stroke, a person may develop dementia symptoms right afterward, depending on the area that has been damaged. However, symptoms can also develop over time as a result of the artery disease affecting the brain. A person who has “mini strokes”—also known as TIAs that cause multiple small blockages in the brain—may also be vulnerable to vascular dementia.

Symptoms of vascular dementia can vary depending on which areas of the brain are most affected by the disease and may include several of the following:

SPECT imaging will reveal areas of low blood flow, although the specific pattern for each person will vary based on the brain areas affected by the vascular dementia.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) is caused by an abnormal build-up of fluid in the brain, causing the ventricles to enlarge and press on areas of the brain involved with walking, bladder control, and cognitive processes.

NPH causes symptoms that can mimic those seen in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, so people suffering with NPH are often misdiagnosed. A SPECT scan can be extremely helpful in differentiating NPH from actual dementia so that a person can get the urgent medical attention and correct treatment needed for this potentially debilitating condition. If identified and treated early (before brain damage has occurred), the dementia symptoms of NPH often can be reversed.

Common Symptoms of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus:

Pseudodementia is a condition in which patients display symptoms of dementia, such as memory problems and behavior changes, but those symptoms are actually due to another disorder, such as depression. These people do not, in fact, have dementia, but because traditional psychiatric professionals don’t typically use brain imaging, it can take years before discovering the real cause of their symptoms. The role of SPECT imaging is important for revealing the underlying cause of symptoms, since the treatment for depression (as in this example) is very different than that for dementia.