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A recent episode of kardashian shared some shocking news about Kim Kardashian‘s brain.
Kim’s discussion recent brain scanHer doctor pointed out “holes” in her brain scans, which he said were related to “reduced activity.”
Although this sounds incredibly sad and worrying, doctors and scientists are skeptical about the technology used and its increasing commercialization.
i study brain healthWhich involves imaging of the brain to look for early signs of the disease.
What do I think about this technology, can it really find holes in our brains, and should we get these scans to check ourselves?
What can imaging really tell you?
Earlier this year, Kim was diagnosed with a disease brain aneurysmor widening of the arteries, after a MRI,
The type and extent of this aneurysm is unclear. And there doesn’t seem to be any clear connection between her aneurysm and this recent news.
But we do know that the latest announcement comes after a different type of imaging, known as single-photon emission tomography (known as SPECT).
It involves injecting radioactive chemicals into the blood and using a special camera that creates 3D images of organs, including the brain. This type of imaging was developed in 1976 and first used in the brain in 1990.
SPECT scans can be used to track and measure blood flow in organs, and are used by doctors to guide the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the brain, heart, and bones.
While SPECT has some clinical use in limited circumstances, there is not good evidence for SPECT scans outside of these purposes.
Enter the world of celebrities and private clinics
The clinic featured in The Kardashians episode offers SPECT to its clients, including the Kardashian-Jenners.
SPECT images have been popularized for their aesthetically pleasing pastel colors, widespread promotion on social media, and claims that these scans can be used to diagnose any condition. These include stress (as in Kim’s case), Alzheimer’s, ADHD, brain injury, eating disorders, sleep problems, anger, and even marital problems.
But the scientific evidence supporting the use of SPECT as a diagnostic tool for many individual and many conditions has led many doctors, scientists, and former patients to criticize the work of such clinics as scientifically unfounded and “snake oil”.
About the author
Sarah Hellewell is Senior Research Fellow in the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science and Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,
The scan may potentially show changes in blood flow, although these may be normal in all conditions. Blood flow can also vary depending on the area of the brain examined, the time of day, and even how much a person is resting.
Areas where blood flow is reduced are described as “holes”, “dents” or “dings” on such SPECT scans.
In Kim’s case, this reduced blood flow was explained as “reduced activity” of the brain. Her doctor suggested that chronic stress was causing the frontal lobes of her brain to not function as they should.
But there is no scientific evidence linking these changes in blood flow to stress or functional outcomes. In fact, there is no single technique with scientific support for linking changes in a person’s brain function to symptoms or outcomes.
These scans are not cheap
Doctors have many concerns about asymptomatic people seeking SPECT as a diagnostic tool. First, people are injected with radioactive material for no defined clinical reason.
Patients may undergo treatment, or be recommended to take special supplements, based on a scientifically unfounded SPECT diagnosis.
And because SPECT scans are not recognized as a medical necessity, patients pay more than US$3,000 for a SPECT scan, with the additional cost of dietary supplements.
Do I need this kind of scan?
While imaging tools such as SPECT and MRI can indeed be used to diagnose many conditions, there is no medical need for healthy people to have them.
For healthy people such scans are often described as “opportunistic” with a double meaning: they may possibly find something in a person with no symptoms, but at multi-thousand dollar scans, they take advantage of people’s health concerns and may use up the health care system unnecessarily.
It may be tempting to follow in the footsteps of the stars and seek diagnosis through popular and widely advertised scans. But it’s important to remember that the best medical care is based on solid scientific evidence, provided by experts who use best practice tools based on decades of research.