10 Ways Brain SPECT Imaging Can Help Understand and Treat ADD/ADHD

Sally was 40 years old when she sought care at Amen Clinics for mental health issues. For years, she had been struggling with troublesome symptoms, including a short attention span, distractibility, disorganization, and restlessness.

These are all symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), also known as attention deficit disorder (ADD). However, Sally didn’t think adults could have ADD/ADHD, so she wasn’t interested in hearing about treatment for this common condition.

This could have been the end of her journey, and she would have continued suffering from her symptoms. But a brain scan changed everything.

Scientists have long believed that atypical activity levels in the brain are tied to ADHD. Neuroimaging research published in 2024 confirms that abnormal brain function leads to the behavioral symptoms seen in ADHD.

In this blog, you’ll discover how brain SPECT scans can help people understand why they are experiencing mental health problems. Plus, you’ll learn how brain scans can aid mental health professionals in treating ADHD and other conditions.

CASE STUDY: SALLY GETS A BRAIN SCAN

Although Sally wasn’t interested in learning about adult ADHD treatment options, she was intrigued about seeing how her brain was functioning. That’s why she decided to get a SPECT scan.

Sally underwent two brain scans—one at rest and the other while she performed a concentration task. The results showed good overall brain activity when she was at rest.

When she tried to concentrate, however, she experienced a reduction in brain activity. This is the opposite of what occurs in a healthy brain. The decrease was especially pronounced in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an area involved in attention and organization.

When Sally saw her scans, she burst into tears and asked, “You mean, it’s not all my fault?” 

What the brain scans showed was that none of the symptoms she was experiencing were her fault. Her short attention span, disorganization, and distractibility weren’t due to a lack of willpower or a lack of effort. They were related to abnormal brain function.

Sally realized that having ADHD is like needing glasses. Are people who wear glasses stupid, lazy, or just not trying hard enough to see better? Of course not!

Similarly, people with ADHD aren’t stupid, lazy, or not trying hard enough. They just need help to increase activity in their prefrontal cortex, so they can focus better.

Sally did very well on an ADD/ADHD treatment plan that helped turn her life around. But if she had never seen her brain scan, she probably never would have gotten the help she needed.

MENTAL HEALTH IS BRAIN HEALTH

Did you know that psychiatry is the only medical field that doesn’t look at the organ it treats? This means that people like Sally often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years while their symptoms worsen.

Because mental health professionals don’t look at the brain, it means they have to rely on guesswork to diagnose and treat patients with symptoms of ADD/ADHD.

It doesn’t have to be this way. As in Sally’s case, brain scans can make a major difference.

What is SPECT? Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a nuclear medicine  imaging technique that measures blood flow and activity in the brain. It helps take the guesswork out of psychiatry.

10 WAYS SPECT BRAIN SCANS CAN HELP UNDERSTAND AND TREAT ADHD

1. Brain scans show how the brain functions.

While MRI and CT brain imaging studies show the structure of the brain, SPECT brain scans show how it functions. Basically, SPECT shows areas of the brain with:

• Healthy activity
• Activity that is too high
• Activity that is too low

In Sally’s case, it showed that activity was too low in the prefrontal cortex while she was concentrating. It can also reveal signs of head trauma, exposure to toxins, and drug and alcohol abuse—all of which can contribute to symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD.

2. Brain scans reveal the health of your brain.

The health of your brain plays a major role in your ability to focus, pay attention, and be organized. There is no way to know about the health of your brain unless you look at it.

One neuroimaging study in The Lancet Psychiatry involving brain scans from over 3,200 patients found differences in brain function in people with ADHD.

3. Brain scans offer a more accurate diagnosis.

Most psychiatric illnesses are diagnosed based on symptom clusters—the same way they have been diagnosed for over 100 years. SPECT brain imaging adds an objective, biological component to give doctors important additional information for a more accurate diagnosis.  

Common symptoms of ADD/ADHD include:

• Short attention span
• Poor impulse control
• Organization problems
• Being easily distracted
• Procrastination
• Trouble with follow-through

Looking at the brain helps physicians know what is causing those symptoms. Research published in Radiology indicates that functional brain imaging can identify ADHD.

4. Brain imaging reveals there are 7 types of ADHD.

Brain imaging shows that ADD/ADHD is not a single or simple disorder. In fact, there are 7 types of ADD/ADHD. Each type needs distinctive treatment. Knowing your type, or your child’s type, is the key to getting the most effective treatment. The 7 types of ADD are:

• Classic ADD
• Inattentive ADD
• Overfocused ADD
• Temporal Lobe ADD
• Limbic ADD
• Ring of Fire ADD
• Anxious ADD