The following information is a result of resources we have gathered on Dr. Aman’s famous brain SPECT research. It is most notable that he was able to take two patients that were pronounced “brain dead”, and revive both of them. Brain SPECT imaging provides for more effective diagnosis and treatment for people who suffer from learning, emotional or behavioral disorders. We are excited to provide you his questionnaire and information to assist.
Disclaimer: The following information and tools are not intended to be a diagnosis, and need to be discussed with your physician for further evaluation. We are, however, providing as much of Dr. Aman’s information free to you without violating copyright laws. Where copyright laws may interfere, we are providing you links to his website for more research.
Because there is an increasing number of emotional problems (anger management, depression, obesity, Schizophrenia, aging, fatigue, ext.) , and learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD, Aspergers, ext. ) families are looking for answers for themselves and loved ones. Until recently, it has often been trial and error as to what medication, what diet, and other adjustments were needed. Families and patients struggled sometimes for years looking for answers that left them little hope. Dr Aman, with his brain SPECT scan research, has now taken much of the guess work out of it.
Because of his research, it is now easier to pinpoint areas of the brain that are not receiving enough oxygen and blood flow by the symptoms that are demonstrated. Dr Aman has created a free questionnaire (PDF Format) to help families and physicians. He says, it is not as accurate as a scan, but it is the next best thing when a scan is not possible.
For example, one child suffering from Aspergers may become highly agitated if presented something he was not expecting. That is an indication that the Frontal lobe is effected. Another child might be diagnosed with Aspergers, and is slow to answer questions, slow to walk or to talk. For these children the Cerebellum is the suspect. Some of these children might have both symptoms demonstrating that both the Frontal Lobe and the Cerebellum are not receiving enough blood flow. Knowing which part of the brain is affected is critical, because it determines what procedure will be most effective, and much less likely to inflict more injury.
ADD and ADHD have been a real smorgasbord of confusing solutions. That is because there are actually six different kinds of ADD/ ADHD. An acceptable treatment for one type can do more harm than good for another. Treating depression has been equally troublesome. We all know cases where an antidepressant worked fine for one person, and sent another to commit suicide or even murder. Again, having the brain scan eliminates much of the guess work typically associated with diagnoses. (If a scan is not available, the questionnaire is the next best thing)
In the following link, you will be able to view actual brain scans. The holes you are about to see are areas where the brain is deteriorating because of not enough blood flow and oxygen: SPECT Imaging For Brain Health Folks, this is an excellent tool to teach children about drugs and their effects. 🙂
After you have answered the questionnaire (see links above), you will be given an evaluation tool that will help you determine which areas of the brain may be effecting performance. To assist you, we are providing the following information which is to be used after you have completed the questionnaire, and determine what parts of the brain you want to know more about.
Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) functions:
Attention, planning, Follow through, impulse control, inhibition, judgement, empathy, organization, morality
Prefrontal Cortex Problems:
Inattention, lack of forethought, procrastination, impulsive, dis-inhibited, poor judgement, lack of empathy, disorganization
Some Conditions Affecting Low PFC Functioning:
ADHD, brain trauma, schizophrenia, conduct disorders, depression, some dementia, antisocial personality.
Anterior Cingulate (AC)
ACG Functions: Brain’s gear shifter, cognitive flexibility, cooperation, go fro idea to idea, see options, go with the flow, error detection.
ACG Problems: gets stuck, trouble shifting, inflexible, worries, holds grudges, oppositional, obsesses, compulsions, argumentative, excessive error detection, some forms of addiction.
Some Conditions Affecting the ACG: OCD, addictions, eating disorders, PTSD, anxiety disorders, PMS, chronic pain, oppositional defiant.
Basal Ganglia (BG)
BG Functions: sense of calm, sets anxiety level, motivation, motor related, mediates pleasure
BG Problems: Tension, nervousness, anxiety/panic, predicting the worst, tremors/ticks, addictions, conflict avoidance, no motivation
Some Conditions Affecting The BG: Anxiety disorders, OCD, Movement Disorders, Tourette’s/ticks, PTSD
Deep Limbic System
DLS Function: Mood control, motivation, attitude, appetite/sleep/, Bonding, sense of smell, Libido.
DLS Problems: Depression, poor motivation, poor attitude, sleep/appetite issues, tends to isolate, lack of smell, negativity, guilt, hopelessness.
Some Conditions Affecting The DLS: depression, pain syndromes, clinic mood disorders
Cerebellum (CB)
CB Functions: Motor control, postture, gait, executive function (connects to PFC0, speed of cognitive interaction (like clock speed of computer), organization.
CB Problems: Gait/coordination problems, slowed thinking, slowed speech, impulsivity, poor learning, disorganization.
Some Conditions Affecting CB:
Trauma, alchol abuse, autism, aspergers, ADHD
NOTE: Whole brain teaching (physically involving the children in the learning process), like Ring Around The Phonics, and real life experiences, improves brain health because it exorcizes the whole brain. With whole brain teaching, children learn faster, retain more, dropout rates decrease by 90%, and stress is reduced.
More Resources
Note: There are also several conditions, including some normal learning styles, that are misdiagnosed as learning disabilities. You will be able to learn more about them at this link: Conditions That Can Mimic Or Create Learning disabilities
Dr. Aman’s studies show that by improving the blood flow to the injured part of the brain, remarkable results occur. Dr. Aman provides solutions, and further assistance on his website: Aman Clinics . We have purchased several of his products, and highly recommend his High Performance Brains (Six Disc Video Series)
Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to leave your comments or questions below.
