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Biomedical subjects

D G Amen

Publications and source records attributed to D G Amen.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

High-resolution brain SPECT imaging in ADHD.

Children and adolescents with ADHD were evaluated with high-resolution brain SPECT imaging to determine if there were similarities between reported PET and QEEG findings. Fifty-four children and adolescents with ADHD by DSM-III-R and Conners Rating Scale criteria were evaluated. A non-ADHD control group was also studied with SPECT. Two brain SPECT studies were done on each group, a resting study and an intellectual stress study done while participants were doing a concentration task. Sixty-fiver percent of the ADHD group revealed decreased perfusion in the prefrontal cortex with intellectual stress, compared to only 5% of the control group. These are findings consistent with PET and QEEG findings. Of the ADHD group who did not show decreased perfusion, two-thirds had markedly decreased activity in the prefrontal cortices at rest.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Three years on clomipramine: before and after brain SPECT study.

A case is presented of a patient diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, obsessive thinking, anger outbursts, and depression who had a SPECT study prior to treatment and after 3 years of treatment on clomipramine. The follow-up SPECT study showed marked improvement overall in the cerebral perfusion of the brain. At rest marked overactivity was noted in the anterior medial aspects of the frontal lobes, along with "patchy" (increased and decreased) uptake throughout the cortical and subcortical areas of the brain. After treatment for 3 years on clomipramine at 225 mg a day, the follow-up SPECT study revealed a normalization of activity in the anterior medial aspects of the frontal lobes as well as no patchy uptake cortically and subcortically as noted in the study prior to treatment. The clinical usefulness of the SPECT study as it relates to this case is discussed.

Anger↗
PubMed1996

Brain SPECT findings and aggressiveness.

Forty adolescents and adults who exhibited aggressive behavior within the six months prior to evaluation by physically attacking another person or destroying property were evaluated with brain SPECT imaging. A control group of 40 psychiatric patients who had never been reported to exhibit aggressive behavior were also studied. The brain SPECT studies were read blind to aggressiveness by nuclear physician on two separate occasions. The interreading reliability was very high. The brain SPECT patterns of the group with aggressive behavior showed significant differences from the control group in several areas of brain. These findings were most often seen in the following combination: decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex, increased activity in the anteromedial portions of the frontal lobes, leftsided increased activity in the basal ganglia and/or limbic system in comparison to the whole brain and focal abnormalities in the left temporal lobe. These findings indicate a possible cerebral perfusion profile for those who exhibit violent or aggressive behavior. Several case studies and the implications for treatment are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Emergency room use of hypnosis.

Myths about hypnosis have interfered with its use in emergency settings. Specifically, included are myths about who induces the hypnotic state, the length of induction time, and the traumatized patient's inability to concentrate on a focal point. It is suggested, however, that altered states of awareness occur rapidly and spontaneously in the patient who has experienced acute trauma and/or pain. Two cases are presented that illustrate spontaneous trancelike states occurring in traumatic situations. The cases also show how the recognition of these altered states can facilitate the patient's care and treatment in an emergency setting.

Child↗
PubMed1985

Post-Vietnam stress disorder: a metaphor for current and past life events.

Delayed posttraumatic stress reactions are often triggered by events that echo the original trauma. It is not uncommon, however, for these delayed reactions to represent a metaphor for other current or past life events. A case is presented that illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic significance of understanding these reactions as a metaphor.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Visualizing the firestorms in the brain: an inside look at the clinical and physiological connections between drugs and violence using brain SPECT imaging.

The connection between drugs and violence has been well documented. Understanding the intricacies of this connection is essential to finding effective interventions. Much has been written about the psychosocial causes of these problems, but there have been few studies exploring the biophysiological interface between drug effects, violent behavior and brain metabolism. Over the past eight years, The Amen Clinic has been extensively involved in the clinical use of brain SPECT imaging to evaluate complicated neuropsychiatric problems, especially related to the issues of both violence and substance abuse. From this work several clinical patterns, as well as brain SPECT imaging patterns, have been recognized that may help further our understanding of these problems. In this article, following a brief review of the literature on drugs, violence and the brain, five clinical examples are explored; the authors show how these support the clinical utility of incorporating SPECT imaging into psychiatric assessment of drug abuse and violence. Finally, a model is proposed to help explain the complex interaction between the brain, violence and drug abuse.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High resolution brain SPECT imaging of marijuana smokers with AD/HD.

Marijuana abuse is common among young Americans and even more common among teenagers and adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Many teenagers and young adults believe that marijuana is a safe substance to use despite a number of studies demonstrating cognitive impairment with chronic or heavy usage. Brain single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) imaging is being used increasingly in psychiatry to study underlying functional brain problems, including AD/HD. SPECT provides information on cerebral blood flow and metabolic function. Brain SPECT studies were performed on 30 heavy marijuana users (who had used on at least a weekly basis for a minimum of one year) with AD/HD from an outpatient psychiatric clinic and 10 AD/HD control group subjects matched for age and sex who had never used drugs. The three-dimensional surface images were used in the analysis of the scans, and were blindly interpreted without knowledge of the clinical data. Decreased perfusion in the prefrontal cortex was the only abnormality seen in the AD/HD control group (80%). In the marijuana group, there was a similar decrease in the perfusion of the prefrontal cortex while performing the same concentration task (83%). However, the marijuana group also demonstrated marked decreased activity in the right and left temporal lobes. The severe and moderate ratings were found in the heaviest users, but not necessarily the longest users. This study demonstrates decreased cerebral perfusion in the temporal lobe regions of the brain on SPECT imaging from chronic marijuana usage.

Adolescent↗