Has anyone done any brain scan for different reasons?
Around the age of 20 I did a neuropsychiatric evaluation, because at the age of 14+ I started to question myself why my social abilities didn't match up with my needs or how I saw others communicate. I felt like I was not processing info like others, much of what I saw and heard, I didn't analyse, so I felt empty and couldn't be social like others, that pickt up things so easy from what I could tell.
The evaluation showed some uneven cognitive patterns with some highs and lows, and the conclusion was suspicion that I had encoding problems (no Asperger, no ADHD ...).
Encoding is how you take in information, how you process the info and how you explain it. The psychologist was kind enough to have me do a SPECT scan because I really wanted to, and it's not something easy to get. But she and the doc did insist, thankfully.
Both the CT and SPECT were normal. I'm glad they are, but I still don't know why I have these difficulties.
It's all so strange, because I'm not good at small talk, or able to adapt from one social circle that I feel comfortable with, to another that I don't have much in common with. I would struggle to understand the social cues or have them understand my personality, because of my difficulties with processing info. This leads that I have difficulties forming relations or understanding people I don't share the same view with. I fill all the A criteria in DSM-5, but to be diagnosed with autism you need to fulfil two B criteria, and I don't. I don't have sensory issues, to sounds or light, I don't do things repetitive, I have a broad of interests, and I dislike routines, as I get bored.
Because brain patterns in ASD can be varied, it is even more important to look at the brain using SPECT imaging. Abnormal activity is often seen in the cerebellum, anterior cingulate gyrus, amygdala, and the temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes. Brain SPECT scans also serve as a very useful tool for measuring the progress of treatment and to continue finding the best and most effective options for each patient, including behavior modifications, medication and/or supplement management, and lifestyle adjustments.
SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) is a nuclear medicine study that evaluates activity (blood flow) in the brain. Basically, it shows three things: healthy activity, too little activity, or too much activity. In an “active” scan, blue represents average blood flow, while red and white represent increasingly higher levels of blood flow. In the healthy scan on the left, the most active area is the cerebellum, located in the back/bottom part of the brain, which is normal. The scan on the right of a 9-year-old boy with ASD reveals abnormally high activity in many areas of the brain, as well as low activity in the cerebellum.
https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/