ADHD Test - SPECT Test

Chiropractors with training in functional neurology use functional neurological examinations to give you a comprehensive picture of your child's brain function, its weaknesses, and its strengths. In some cases, however, these instruments fail to yield helpful results. When this happens, your child will have to go through advanced imaging techniques like Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography, or SPECT tests.

SPECT tests examine your child's metabolism by tracking the amount of blood that enters the brain, which enables the clinician to observe your child's brain activity. Active regions of the brain need more blood to fuel them, while inactive regions require less blood. Through SPECT tests, the clinician can identify any overactive or underactive regions of the brain, and determine which regions are functioning normally. This information, together with your child's medical history and the results of other tests, can give the clinician a detailed picture of what may be causing your child's condition and how it can best be treated.

At the start of a SPECT test, your child will be injected with a safe chemical compound that travels through the bloodstream and eventually reaches the brain. The chemical compound is composed of a radioactive isotope which emits pulses of brain energy and lights up the active regions of the brain. A special camera then takes an image and transfers it to software that automatically reconstructs a 3D image of your child's brain. The printed picture that you receive will show you the regions of the brain that have normal activity, high activity, and low activity. Aside from making it easy to identify which regions are over-stimulated or under-stimulated, this information helps the clinician compare the image to SPECT images of brains afflicted with ADHD and other neurological disorders.

A child undergoing a SPECT test will have to experience two brain scans over a four-day period. During the first brain scan, the clinician will obtain a baseline view of the child's brain function by putting him or her at rest. For the second scan, the child will be asked to perform a concentration task to yield an image of the brain at work. The second brain scan will give the clinician an overall picture of brain activity, showing which areas are working properly and which areas are dysfunctional.

Aside from detecting ADHD, SPECT tests are incredibly useful in guiding treatment. Not all treatments have immediate effects on children, and determining a treatment plan that works can take several weeks or months. By using SPECT tests to see how well the brain responds to certain treatments, it is easier for the clinician to track the child's progress or make any modifications to the treatment plan.

The main disadvantage to SPECT tests is that they are available only in very few clinics. Hospitals do not have the technology for SPECT testing because mainstream medicine has yet to utilize this instrument. Only Dr. Daniel Amen of the Amen Clinics in the United States performs SPECT tests, and a full evaluation will set you back $3,000. For these reasons, SPECT testing is only recommended if other ADHD tests fail to provide useful information, or if you have the money to travel to an Amen clinic.