Chapter 13: My Brain Scans; Inside Active View

I have been off clonazepam for 15 days.  I am still taking extra Neurontin for the anxiety, I am more irritable, but I am sleeping well.  I visualize my brain healing, and I am starting to get excited about being able to start the last part of my medication treatment plan.  As soon as the anxiety calms down I will begin taking Wellbutrin.  It is important for me to wait until the anxiety calms.  The 100 milligrams of Luvox I am taking per day is helping to calm the increased activity in the deep limbic system.  The 1200 milligrams of Neurontin per day is helping calm the anxiety in the basal ganglia.  Wellbutrin will help increase the activity in my prefrontal cortex.

Here are SPECT scans of a healthy brain when it is active.  This is a 3D Active rendering, looking at the most active 15% of the brain where fluid (Ceretec) injected into an artery reached the tissues.  A normal scan shows increased fluid in the tissues of the cerebellum, with all else being relatively quiet.  Pictures are from the Amen Clinic.
                                    

                                    

                   Here are my SPECT 3D Active rendering scans after rest:  R=rest.

These are my SPECT 3D Active rendering scans after concentration:  C=concentration

                           

                                                                           

My SPECT Study Findings Report from the Amen Clinic is 4 pages long.  Here is a brief overview of what was found on my scans.  The most significant finding is decreased activity bilaterally (both sides) of the temporal lobes on the rest and concentration studies. 

Decreased activity was found in the following areas:

• Bilateral inferior orbital prefrontal cortex, worse at rest.
• Bilateral parietal lobes, worse at rest.
• Medial parietal lobe, on both studies.
• Left and medial dorsal prefrontal cortex, at rest.
• Bilateral occipital lobes, at rest.
• Anterior medial prefrontal cortex pole, on both studies.
• Internal cerebellar activity, worse at rest.

Increased activity was found in the following areas:

• Thalamo-limbic system, worse on concentration.  The basal ganglia are a group of large nuclei that partially surround the thalamus.
• Anterior cingulate gyrus, on both studies.

Below are pictures of the anatomy of the brain.  PFC=prefrontal cortex; FC=frontal cortex; TL=temporal lobe; PL=parietal lobe; OL=occipital lobe; BG=basal ganglia; ACG=anterior cingulated gyrus; PCG=posterior cingulate gyrus; R=right; L=left.  These photos were included in my notebook from the Amen Clinic.

                                                              

I am not well yet, but I am making progress toward feeling better.  Having SPECT scans done did not cure anything, but they gave my psychiatrist at the Amen Clinic more information which helped him write a treatment plan that is working for me!