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Using Brain Scans for Rehab
By Newport Coast | December 17, 2007
Addiction occurs in the brain, so it seems obvious that addiction would cause some sort of change in the physiology of the brain, which would in turn affect the dynamics of the brain. When a patient chooses a drug rehab program, they’ll often be given the option to add additional medical services to their treatment plans: some people get full body scans and specific testing, and some even get brain scans.
For the purposes of a drug rehab program, the most useful type of brain scan is the SPECT scan. Unlike the PET and CAT scans, which detect the structure of the brain, SPECT scans actually provide a glimpse at the way the brin functions. It reports levels of glucose metabolism in a 3d output (glucose is the main fule used by the brain).
The reason a brain scan is useful for drug rehab and alcoholism treatment is that it can determine the extent of damage to the brain, what areas of the brain are damaged, and what treatments would be best to address the damage. Specific drug rehab plans can be tailored with the brain scans in mind. For example, the brain scans could be an important piece of evidence to use when deciding the lenght of stay in rehab and the amount of aftercare required. Using these scans can also be useful in conjunction with the treatment of dual diagnosis disorders: a qualified Psychiatrist can determine the best course of therapy for addiction treatment with the scans in mind.
Some damage to the brain can be repaired, but brain cells generally do not grow back after they have died. The brain scan is just another tool used to aid addiction - the better the patient can understand the extent of their addiction, the better it can be treated. Go to Newport Coast Recovery for more information on men’s drug rehab and brain scans.
The image above is an example of the deviations from normal glucose metabolism in a brain belonging to a crystal meth addict
Topics: Cutting Edge Rehab |