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In 1992, Dr. Daniel Amen, our founder, attended an all-day lecture on “Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry.” It was put on by physicians at Creighton University. The experience was amazing to him and the results that were shared mirrored his own early experience with SPECT imaging. In the 30 years since then, science has repeatedly recognized the value of brain SPECT – the imaging technology we use with our patients at Amen Clinics – for assessing brain function. There is a robust amount of scientific data that support the utility of SPECT for revealing the blood flow patterns underlying many different types of brain problems.

Why SPECT?

Your brain is very delicate – the consistency of soft butter – and is protected by a hard skull with multiple sharp bony ridges. Even minor blows to the head, without loss of consciousness, may result in brain injuries that cause serious consequences for the rest of life. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is the leading cause of death and disability for people between the ages of 1 and 44, and an often-overlooked cause of emotional, thinking, and behavioral problems. People who have experienced TBI have a higher risk of depression, anxiety, suicidality, drug and alcohol abuse, job and marital failure, incarceration, homelessness, and dementia. At Amen Clinics, we have been using brain SPECT imaging for the past 30 years. One of the first lessons we learned was that undiagnosed brain injuries were a major cause of learning, emotional and behavior problems that were often misdiagnosed as “personality disorders” or people who just didn’t care enough to act right. We are thrilled to see the progress in this field. We have been using brain SPECT imaging to help understand and treat our patients for the past 25 years, and have published or presented more than 70 scientific studies validating its use. The results of these studies repeatedly demonstrate the value of brain SPECT imaging for evaluating brain function, clarifying diagnoses, guiding treatment decisions, and measuring the effectiveness of treatment strategies. SPECT can help with the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions, such as: • Resistant emotional, behavioral or cognitive issues • Memory or dementia issues • Traumatic brain injury/concussions • Behavioral problems • Aggression • Addictions • Autism • ADD/ADHD • Mood Disorders • Anxiety Disorder • And more…

Let Us Help You

To see if brain SPECT imaging may be right for you, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit our website to contact us. The World Health Organization ranks traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the leading cause of both disability and mortality in individuals below the age of 45. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two million new TBIs are reported each year in the United States as a result of falls, accidents, and concussions. Millions of others go unnoticed leading to what many researchers have called the “silent epidemic.” TBIs, including concussions, are a major cause of psychiatric illness and few people know this, because most psychiatrists never look at the brain. In fact, TBI has been linked to: • Homelessness • Drug and alcohol abuse • Anxiety • Depression • ADD/ADHD • School failure • Job failure • Murder • Suicide • Domestic violence • Incarceration

What Research Has Shown

New research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that “even mild concussions sustained in ordinary community settings might be more detrimental than anyone anticipated; the long-term risk of suicide increases threefold in adults if they have experienced even one concussion.” An additional study reiterated the seriousness of traumatic brain injury stating it is “the leading cause of death and disability in young adults in the developed world” and that “individuals with mild TBI, with concussion, had an elevated suicide risk by 81 percent.” This link between TBIs contributing to poor outcomes later in life was recently investigated in much greater depth. Research published in PLOS Medicine studied more than a million people born since 1973 and followed them to see how head injuries impacted their lives in the coming decades. It was discovered that people who had suffered even a mild traumatic head injury (which was defined as a head injury which left them feeling dazed or confused) were 60 percent more likely to have died in the studied period than people who had no injury. Even more of a concern, they were also 91 percent more likely to have been hospitalized for a psychiatric problem, 55 percent more likely to have done less well in education, and 52 percent more likely to have needed disability benefit.

How We Can Help

When Amen Clinics performed the first and largest study on active and retired NFL players, the results showed high levels of brain damage. This came at a time when the NFL was still maintaining that they didn’t know if playing football causes long-term brain damage. We put the players on our program with The Amen Clinics Method and demonstrated that 80 percent of them could improve in the areas of a blood flow, memory, and mood. That study provided even more compelling evidence that you are NOT stuck with the brain you have and you can make it better on a brain-healthy program. Amen Clinics has helped thousands of people heal their brains and they can help you, too. With targeted treatment you can change your brain and change your life. If you feel that you or a loved one could benefit from an evaluation, contact the Amen Clinics Care Center today at 888-288-9834. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to be in a car accident or get concussed on a football field to injure your brain. A brain injury may result from a hit to the head from a seemingly innocuous fall. Brain injuries can also occur from the sudden, jarring movement of the head and neck (like whiplash).

This is Your Brain

Your brain is incredibly soft and is housed in a really hard skull with multiple sharp bony ridges, making it easy to injure. Think of a consistency between Jell-O and egg whites on the softness spectrum – that’s your brain. Jolting motions and hitting your head can cause the brain to slam into the hard interior of the skull. Such hits to the head can force brain cells to twist and stretch – resulting in brain injuries that can ruin lives.

Ask the Right Questions

If you don’t already have your own set of questions for assessing a history of head injury, consider using these: • Have you ever been knocked unconscious? If so, for how long? • Have you ever temporarily “blacked out?” • Have you ever gotten your “bell rung?” • Have you ever fallen down or been hit and felt disoriented, confused or nauseous afterward? • Did you play sports such as football, rugby, soccer, lacrosse or ice hockey? • Have you ever crashed while skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, cycling, or skating? • When you were a child, did you ever fall out of a tree, off the jungle gym, off a porch, or out of a window? • Have you ever been in a car accident, even a minor one and even if you didn’t hit your head? If so, how many?

Undiagnosed Head Injuries

It’s estimated that there are about 2 million emergency room visits for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the U.S. each year, in addition to hundreds of thousands of unreported incidents of head trauma, including undiagnosed concussions. Often, brain injuries that don’t result in a loss of consciousness go unnoticed and are never treated. Research shows that undiagnosed brain injuries are a major cause of ADD/ADHD, depression, panic attacks, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, divorce, homelessness and suicide. Untreated brain injuries can also lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Other Symptoms

Some symptoms of TBI overlap with those of other conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where sleep problems, irritability or anger, concentration problems and social isolation are commonly found in both. Because of this, people can be misdiagnosed and given the wrong type of treatment if no one actually looks at their brain. Two research studies published in 2015 by the research team at Amen Clinics, in collaboration with scientists from UCLA, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of British Columbia, were able to differentiate PTSD from TBI with high accuracy using SPECT imaging. This achievement was recognized by Discover Magazine as #19 of the top 100 science stories of 2015. This research paves the way for people suffering with one or both of these conditions to get the correct treatment. And the good news is that it’s possible to rehabilitate the brain! You truly are not stuck with the brain you have. If you or a child have suffered a concussion or TBI, don’t delay in implementing these 3 tips for protecting your brain:

Practice Brain Safety

Always wear a helmet and make sure your children wear helmets during contact sports, bike riding, horseback riding, skateboarding, snowmobiling, skiing or snowboarding. Also, to reduce the risk of head injury, wear a seat belt in vehicles, don’t climb ladders, stay off the roof and don’t text while driving or walking.

Balance Your Blood Sugar

Keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day with healthy snacks, green tea, and the vitamins and nutrients you need. Low blood sugar levels are associated with lower overall blood flow to the brain, poor impulse control, irritability, and bad decisions.

Take a Look

How can you really know if you have a head injury unless you get an image of your brain? Brain SPECT imaging is the best tool for determining if your brain has suffered functional damage from a concussion or TBI.

Brain SPECT imaging can:

• Help identify if there has been brain trauma • Show brain blood flow deficits NOT visible in anatomical studies, such as CT or MRI • Identify affected brain systems • Help determine if there could be co-occurring conditions that need treatment • Increase treatment compliance by showing pictures of results • Provide scientific documentation that may help with special services or legal issues Our Full Evaluation includes two SPECT images (concentrating and resting states), a detailed clinical history, neuropsychological testing and comprehensive evaluation with one of our doctors to target treatment specifically to your brain, using the least toxic, most effective means. If you or a loved one have suffered a concussion or TBI and are experiencing anxiety, depression, aggressive behaviors, or memory loss, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit us online to schedule a visit. Ask yourself if you have ever: • Blacked out for a few seconds? • Seen stars? or Have you ever: • Played football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, rugby or hockey? • Fallen out of a tree, down the stairs, off a horse, a bike or a skateboard, or crashed while skiing or snowboarding? • Been in a motor vehicle accident (even a simple “fender-bender”) or physically assaulted? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you may actually have injured your brain—even if you didn’t get diagnosed with a concussion.

So how can you find out?

In a helpful demonstration of the usefulness of SPECT imaging for identifying brain-based disorders, a new study shows that current and former NFL players experience low blood flow to the brain, compared to a healthy group. The researchers examined the brains of the largest group of retired and current NFL players investigated to date; a total of 161 individuals with an average age of 52. The results of the study, recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, may help physicians to provide better treatment to people with head injury. “Without functional imaging studies like SPECT, it is very difficult to know if brain trauma is present and which areas are affected,” points out lead author Daniel G. Amen, MD. “Structural studies often appear normal but what we can do better with functional neuroimaging with SPECT is not only pinpoint specific areas of the brain that are unhealthy with low blood flow, but also demonstrate their improvement with successful brain rehabilitation treatments in persons like football players.” This study further supports that fact that brain SPECT imaging is one of the best tools available to identify areas of the brain hurt by an injury. A CT (“CAT”) scan or MRI will tell you if there is any damage to the anatomy or structure of your brain, but these scans cannot tell how your brain is functioning. In fact, many times a CT or MRI will be normal after a head injury, when there is actually functional damage to the brain that can be detected with SPECT. Co-author Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in former football players as portrayed in the movie Concussion, added, “What our current work is doing, in addition to other imaging modalities, builds the foundation for identifying the negative effects of head trauma on the brain while the patient is still alive so that we can intervene with better treatments.” CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) thought to result from repeated hits to the head. It is important to note that undiagnosed sub-concussive blows may also contribute to CTE. However, the actual diagnosis of CTE can be confirmed only with an autopsy. According to Dr. Amen, The two big takeaways from the study are:

1) You don’t have to wait until you’re dead to be diagnosed with a brain injury. With SPECT, we were able to see traumatic brain injuries in virtually all of the football players we studied, and some are recently retired.

2) We determined that you’re not stuck with the damage you have, you can get treated.

Dr. Amen and the physicians at Amen Clinics are very knowledgeable about the consequences of repetitive blows to the head, including how to identify them and heal the brain. If you are concerned that you or a loved may have a head injury, a call to our Care Center can answer your questions and provide you with valuable information that can lead you to a better brain and a better life. Find out how. Call 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. You may already know the sad story of Chris Brymer. Once a star football player with the University of Southern California Trojans, and after that, the Dallas Cowboys, he’s been living primarily on the street for almost a decade. He has repeatedly refused help from those who know and respect him, and whether or not he’ll ever want help, remains to be seen. Unfortunately, Chris is one of a number of former NFL players whose careers at the pinnacle of American sports, left them with comprehension, memory and other cognitive problems that made it difficult to navigate the challenges of life down the road. It wasn’t always this way for Chris. After he retired from professional football, he and his wife had a successful business in Southern California for several years. But eventually Chris’s behavioral changes (which had begun while he was still playing football), delusions and cognitive decline impaired his ability to run their business, and it subsequently collapsed. His wife divorced him when their son was two. Likely with little to no cognitive reserve from which to draw, his condition appeared to deteriorate even further after this. Many people suspect that Chris has been suffering from CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – the consequence of repeated impacts to the head that are so much a part of American football and other sports, including ice hockey and “heading” soccer balls. And while the news headlines have focused primarily on professional athletes and veterans, concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are occurring every day among the general population. Falls, sport-related injuries, assaults, and accidents lead to nearly 2 million emergency room visits every year, on top of the hundreds of thousands of concussions and incidents of head trauma that are never reported, and therefore, never diagnosed. Yet, whether they occur in childhood, adolescence or adulthood, undetected and untreated head injuries are a common contributing factor for homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, school and work failure, and incarceration. Simply put, when the brain is hurt, it is harder to make good decisions and be successful in life. The good news is that it is possible to rehabilitate the brain! You truly are not stuck with the brain you have – even if you’ve been bad to it. Just as we helped Anthony Davis (as in the video above) and many other NFL players improve the function of their brain after years of abuse from football, we can help you and your loved ones too. If you are concerned about persistent symptoms of head trauma, a call to our Care Center can answer your questions and provide you with valuable information that can lead you to a better brain and a better life. Find out how. Call 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. Bill first came to Amen Clinics after attempting suicide in his dorm room. A twenty-year-old Yale student, despite his intellectual gifts, Bill nonetheless experienced bouts of severe depression. And his overdose on a lethal cocktail of Ambien, Effexor XR, and a fifth of whiskey had nearly killed him. Bill’s roommate at Yale called 9-1-1 when he discovered Bill unconscious following the overdose. Bill was rushed to the hospital, which saved his life. Once Bill was stabilized and discharged from the hospital, he took off a semester to get psychiatric help at Amen Clinics. We attempted to treat Bill with antidepressant medication, taught him techniques to rewrite his negative stories about himself and the world, and met with him for twice-weekly psychotherapy. Bill improved, but only moderately so. Antidepressant medications—and we tried several with Bill—really never altered his fundamental negativity and his proneness for severe depressive dips. Bill cooperated with treatment, but our treatment had not made enough progress to help Bill move toward being fully free of depression and able to return to Yale.

Treating Bill With SPECT

Because Bill had not made sufficient progress, we told him about brain SPECT imaging, a way to look at what the brain is doing, and asked him to consider it. It was our hope that SPECT might reveal something about the root of Bill’s problems that we were missing. Bill and his parents agreed, and Bill had his brain scanned a week later. We were not disappointed. The SPECT results showed that Bill’s brain was hurting in a way none of us had anticipated. He had significant damage to his left temporal lobe. Bill’s brain wasn’t just unbalanced; it was injured, significantly. We knew that temporal lobe problems, especially on the left side, can contribute to or cause marked depression and negativity—and also rage at times, which fortunately Bill didn’t have. Bill’s SPECT findings showed why antidepressants hadn’t helped him; antidepressants don’t fundamentally address brain injury, especially injury in the temporal lobes. Discussing Bill’s brain injury with him and his parents, we surmised that years of soccer caused the brain injury we had uncovered. We’ve seen quite a few soccer players who had head injuries from playing that sport. Heading a hard soccer ball is not a good thing for the brain.

SPECT Helps Target Treatment Options

With this new information provided by SPECT, Bill was placed on Lamictal, a medication that targets temporal lobe problems. Lamictal was the answer to our prayers. Gradually, Bill improved. Eventually, after several months, he was close to 100 percent, with hardly any trace of depression. Bill continued Lamictal, returned to Yale the following semester, and ultimately graduated with honors. Following Yale, Bill attended and graduated from a top law school and now works as a fourth-year associate for a large law firm. Without much exaggeration, SPECT imaging saved Bill’s life; we am certain that, given the severity of his depression and suicidal urges, he would have ended up killing himself if we had not found a successful treatment for him. Detecting and stabilizing his left temporal lobe was the key step in Bill’s successful treatment. The key point is that an injured brain must be healed before any other treatments—such as nutritional supplements, lifestyle management, counseling, psychotherapy, or antidepressant medication—can work. Imaging changes everything.  At Amen Clinics, we can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with many disorders. If you are ready to change your brain and change your life, give us a call today at 888-288-9834 or visit our website to schedule an appointment. Bill was a patient of Dr. Annibali at Amen Clinics Washington D.C. His book Reclaim Your Brain—How to Calm Your Thoughts, Heal Your Mind, and Bring Your Life Back Under Control is available on Amazon and at Amen Clinics. This past year, the research team at Amen Clinics, in collaboration with scientists from UCLA, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of British Columbia, completed two research studies on the differentiation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They were both accepted into peer-reviewed journals. The first study, entitled Functional Neuroimaging with Default Mode Network Regions Distinguishes PTSD from TBI in a Military Veteran Population was published in April 2015 in Brain Imaging and Behavior. The second study, Functional Neuroimaging Distinguishes Posttraumatic Stress Disorder from Traumatic Brain Injury in Focused and Large Community Datasets was published in PLOS ONE in July 2015. The latter is the world’s largest functional brain imaging study on more than 21,000 patients that demonstrated the ability to distinguish between PTSD and TBI using brain SPECT imaging with high accuracy. We were very pleased to be published in these two excellent medical journals; however, we were really honored when we received the acknowledgment from Discover Magazine about the relevance of our studies to the scientific community. The pioneering research we did on differentiating TBI from PTSD has been highlighted in Discover Magazine as #19 of the top 100 stories in all of science for 2015! Our research was sandwiched between Tesla’s new entry into renewable energy at #18 and the discovery of a new dinosaur species at #20.

Brain SPECT imaging reveals the differences we cannot know just from talking about the patients’ symptoms.

With SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) we are able to do an overall evaluation of a person’s brain function. The tracer, HMPAO-Tc99, is distributed proportionally to blood flow in the brain. Areas that have lower activity, such as with TBI, draw less blood to them, whereas areas of overactivity, as seen in PTSD, draw more blood. This allows us to differentiate high and low activity from the patient’s normal blood flow. In our study, we were able to distinguish PTSD from TBI with 80% – 100% accuracy.

Using SPECT to Guide Treatment

Because PTSD and TBI have several overlapping symptoms, this capability is particularly important when trying to differentiate between them since the treatments for each are different. Below is a list of symptoms that are among those that can confound the diagnosis for even very experienced clinicians: Typically, treatment for PTSD and emotional trauma is psychological in nature and the goal is to try to calm down the brain. Conversely, treatment for TBI is more physiological in nature and focuses on increasing activity in the injured areas of the brain. Knowing which condition a patient has is critical to helping them heal. For example, if someone is feeling depressed and has difficulty concentrating, a doctor may presume it is TBI and prescribe a stimulant. Unfortunately, if the diagnosis is actually PTSD, the patient’s symptoms will be exacerbated. By using SPECT to help differentiate between PTSD and TBI, it is our hope that the findings from our study and the acknowledgment by Discover Magazine will help millions of people suffering from one or both of these devastating conditions to be correctly diagnosed and more effectively treated. If you have been working with patients who have PTSD or TBI but they aren’t responding well to treatment, consider referring them for a SPECT evaluation at one of our clinics. By doing so you will obtain the data on the underlying biology of their condition which can improve your treatment decisions and help the patients feel better more quickly. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. At Amen Clinics, we knew about the NFL concussion problem 25 years ago, simply because we were looking at brains. We quickly learned these tragic facts: even mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) can ruin someone’s life, and the underlying impact of TBI on mental health problems is missed because most doctors don’t look at the brain.

Undiagnosed concussions and TBIs are a very serious problem.

They are a major cause of psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and panic disorder along with homelessness, domestic violence, divorce, and suicide. Furthermore, untreated brain injuries can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Although we have heard about the NFL concussion crisis in the media over the past several years, this issue was brought into the spotlight when the movie, Concussion, starring Will Smith, was released. The story features the work of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who more than a decade ago, identified the physical brain pathology of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Dr. Daniel Amen was a consultant on this very important film and highly recommends seeing it because it will really help you understand the devastating, long-term impact that head trauma has on the individuals who suffer from its consequences.

How Do You Know Unless You Look?

Because we look at the brain using brain SPECT imaging, many people with a history of TBI come to Amen Clinics for evaluation, including professional athletes. In fact, Dr. Amen is the lead researcher on the first and largest brain imaging and rehabilitation study on NFL players. This research not only demonstrated high levels of brain damage in players, but also showed the possibility of significant recovery for many of them using the principles that underlie our work, including nutrition, supplementation, and exercise. We apply these same principles for brain health to all patients with TBI. As inferred above, one of the most prevalent conditions we identify with SPECT is previously undiagnosed TBI. All too often concussions are not taken very seriously unless a person has noticeable symptoms shortly after one occurs. Many times, clinicians do not know to ask their patients about a past history of head injuries. However, we think it is very important to ask them multiple times in multiple ways because people often forget or dismiss such incidents as inconsequential, but they all matter – even sub-concussive events. If you don’t already have your own set of questions for assessing a history of head injury, consider using ones like these: Given the magnitude of people suffering from known TBIs as well as undiagnosed concussions, it is really important to take the time to assess for them. With the proper treatment, people can get better and live more balanced and productive lives. Contact us today at 888-288-9834 to see how we may help, or schedule a visit today. We are so excited that the pioneering research at Amen Clinics was just highlighted in Discover Magazine as number 19 of the top 100 stories in all of science for 2015! Our research was sandwiched between Tesla’s new entry into renewable energy at #18 and the discovery of a new dinosaur species at #20. The research team at Amen Clinics, in collaboration with scientists from UCLA, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of British Columbia, published the world’s largest functional brain imaging study on more than 21,000 patients that demonstrated we can distinguish between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) using brain SPECT imaging with high accuracy. Our study was published in the prestigious journal, PLOS ONE in July 2015. With SPECT, We Can See the Difference SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) is the type of advanced brain imaging we use at Amen Clinics. It allows us to do an overall evaluation of a person’s brain function and identify areas of the brain that are normal, as well as areas that are overactive or underactive. This capability is particularly important when trying to differentiate between PTSD and TBI, because these two conditions have several overlapping symptoms, including: However, even though some of the symptoms are the same, PTSD and TBI present with very different patterns on SPECT images. Most commonly, PTSD reveals areas of overactivity, while TBI has areas of decreased activity in the brain. Our study found that with brain SPECT imaging, we were able to distinguish PTSD from TBI with 80% – 100% accuracy. Using SPECT to Guide Treatment The ability to differentiate these disorders from each other is critical for determining the most effective treatment for each individual. Without knowing the underlying biological issue, it is easy to mistake one condition from the other – and the problem is that the treatments for each are very different. Typically, treatment for PTSD and emotional trauma is psychological in nature and the goal is to try to calm down the brain. Conversely, treatment for TBI is more physiological in nature and focuses on increasing activity in the injured areas of the brain. So, for example, if a doctor diagnoses someone with PTSD (but it’s really TBI), a sedating medication might be prescribed. Unfortunately this is not what someone with a TBI needs because the activity in the brain is already suppressed as a result of the injury, thus this type of treatment will not likely be of any help and may actually cause further harm. Why This Study is So Important Now There are approximately 1.7 million emergency room visits in the U.S. each year for head trauma along with hundreds of thousands of undiagnosed concussions primarily from sports, recreational accidents and falls. It is also estimated that 1 out of 30 adults in the U.S. has PTSD. When we add the numbers of impacted veterans to this— more than 300,000 have been diagnosed with TBI and 125,000 with PTSD—these conditions are significant health problems. By using SPECT to help differentiate between PTSD and TBI, it is our hope that the findings from our study and the acknowledgement by Discover Magazine will help millions of people suffering with one or both of these devastating conditions to be correctly diagnosed. By being able to identify the underlying brain problem, people are given the best possible opportunity to receive the correct diagnosis and treatment so they can feel better and have more healthy and productive lives. If you know people who suffer from PTSD or TBI, referring them one of our clinics may be very helpful in their care. SPECT is once again showing its value by distinguishing the fine line between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in nonmilitary patients, which should lead to better treatment for the disorders.

What Research Says

In the study, published online in PLOS One, SPECT achieved at least 80% sensitivity for distinguishing TBI from PTSD in a group of patients with a wide range of comorbidities. The results follow research earlier this year in which Cyrus Raji and colleagues validated SPECT’s efficacy in distinguishing PTSD and TBI in a military population. SPECT clearly showed perfusion differences in the brain’s default mode network that could help radiologists distinguish TBI from PTSD among these patients.

Similarities Between TBI and PTSD

The findings in the current study and past research are particularly relevant because mild TBI often goes undetected using conventional structural imaging, while chronic TBI symptoms often mirror and overlap those of PTSD. The greatest concern is that treatment for TBI and PTSD differs greatly and a misdiagnosis can lead to inappropriate follow-up.

Treatment for PTSD

The pharmacological treatments for PTSD, such as benzodiazepines and atypical antipsychotics, can impede function or be dangerous in those who have TBI. Similarly, antipsychotics have been shown to impede recovery or be contraindicated in clinical studies and animal models of TBI.

Effects on Brain Regions

Not surprisingly, there are similarities in terms of the brain regions affected by TBI and PTSD. For example, the frontal lobes are adversely affected in both sets of patients. In terms of brain regions, subjects with PTSD showed increased perfusion in the limbic structures, cingulum, basal ganglia, insula, thalamus, prefrontal cortex, and temporal lobes, compared with those with TBI.

We Can Help

At Amen Clinics, we can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, brain injury, weight loss, addictions, memory issues, brain fog, and other emotional and cognitive issues. If you are ready to regain control over your life or help a loved one do the same, give us a call at 1-888-288-9834 or click here to ask a question.