Brain SPECT Imaging
As part of The Arbor’s commitment to utilizing new technologies for addiction recovery, the Medical Director occasionally refers a client to a third party practitioner for advanced evaluation.
SPECT scans are a clinical image, similar to a photograph, to look at brain functioning. Certain mental and behavioral states can be correlated with certain SPECT patterns. Gathering information from SPECT scans can help trained medical professionals understand specific brain functioning and assist with evaluation and treatment protocols.
Consider this analogy—if you were driving a high performance vehicle, you would want to know if the engine was working properly. Taking a picture of the engine (CT/MRI) shows you all of the parts, but does not give you specific information on how well the engine is running (functioning). A brain SPECT image identifies important information about the brain’s functioning.
When the Medical Director at The Arbor determines it would be beneficial for a client to get a SPECT scan, they are performed by an outside clinic not affiliated with The Arbor.