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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
Looking at the brain helps physicians know what is causing those symptoms. Research published in Radiology indicates that functional brain imaging can identify 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:
Seeing the brain helps people with ADD/ADHD understand that their lack of impulse control, inattention, or disorganization aren’t signs of weakness or personal failure. Realizing that these symptoms are biological in nature can help people overcome feelings of guilt and shame.
When people see their brain scan, they can no longer deny that they have ADD/ADHD. It helps them understand that their condition is real. This knowledge motivates them to take action to treat it.
When people see their SPECT scans compared to healthy SPECT scans, they tend to develop brain envy. That’s what happened to Sally. Wanting a better brain motivated her to start taking better care of her brain, which helped minimize her symptoms.
With a comprehensive evaluation that includes brain imaging, there is no need for guesswork. People with ADD/ADHD can get a more effective treatment plan that is personalized for their individual needs.
Sally’s treatment plan included nutritional interventions, an exercise plan, a sleep program, targeted supplements, and medication.
After seeing her brain, Sally was more encouraged to follow her treatment plan, which helped decrease her symptoms of ADD/ADHD.
Seeing before-and-after scans of patients who have improved their brain health and overcome ADD/ADHD offers hope to people who are struggling with symptoms that are holding them back.
To help you understand more about ADD/ADHD, here are some answers to common questions.
Healthcare providers who are qualified to give ADHD screening tests and to make an ADHD diagnosis include:
Most providers can treat ADHD with behavioral therapy or lifestyle modifications. However, the only ones who are qualified to prescribe medications, such as stimulants, are psychiatrists and other physicians.
The professionals at Amen Clinics have built the world’s largest database of functional brain scans related to behavior—over 250,000 brain scans and growing—making it the best in the world. Over the past 30-plus years, Amen Clinics has performed SPECT scans on patients ranging from 9 months of age to 105 years old from more than 155 countries.
This brain-based process produces better-than-average results. Based on outcome studies, 85% of patients report improved quality of life after being treated at Amen Clinics.
You can get tested for ADHD locally by visiting any of the healthcare providers listed above. Where can you get tested for ADHD if you also want to get a SPECT scan? If you’re interested in getting a brain scan for a more accurate diagnosis and more effective treatment plan, consider visiting one of Amen Clinics’ 11 locations.
Amen Clinics has outpatient facilities in the following metro areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, New York, Orange County, Phoenix/Scottsdale, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington DC.
Healthcare providers use a variety of ADHD diagnostic tools, screening evaluations, and self-assessments, such as:
Norman, L. J., Sudre, G., Price, J., & Shaw, P. (2024). Subcortico-cortical dysconnectivity in ADHD: A voxel-wise mega-analysis across multiple cohorts. American Journal of Psychiatry. https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230026
Huaiqiang Sun, Ying Chen, Qiang Huang, Su Lui, Xiaoqi Huang, Yan Shi, Xin Xu, John A. Sweeney, Qiyong Gong. Psychoradiologic Utility of MR Imaging for Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Radiomics Analysis. Radiology, vol. 287, No. 2, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2017170226
Hoogman, Martine et al. Subcortical Brain Volume Differences in Participants with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults: A Cross-Sectional Mega-Analysis.
The Lancet Psychiatry, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 310 – 319, 2017. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(17)30049-4/abstract
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