Post-Baseline SPECT results

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onceuponatime
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Post-Baseline SPECT results

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My SPECT scan shows no neurological degeneration. What does that mean given the fact I was on the protocol for 18 months before I was able to get it done?

When I first recognized signs of significant cognitive decline - inability to speak without notes (I'm a public speaker); confusion when consulting notes; serious and debilitating loss of short term recall (conversations, plans, to do lists, tasks completed, etc.); aphasia (gah!) - I was, as so many are, depressed. I had my DNA analyzed (3/4), did a MOCA test my DH brought home from his workplace and failed it miserably (in my opinion; I am not trained to assess a MOCA but the things I could not do were things I normally did VERY easily). I assumed I would follow in the footsteps of my paternal grandmother (complete cognitive degeneration over ten years and another ten years in long term care) and my father (undiagnosed cognitive dementia resulting in serious familial dysfunction and trauma; death in ltc while still verbal).

A friend's Christmas letter mentioned the Bredesen protocol he was using to support his wife's Alzheimer's. After consulting him, I purchased Bredesen's book, and began incorporating many of the elements of the protocol. Almost immediately, I realized benefits. The aphasia disappeared, I became more confident speaking again, and my memory was incredibly better. Not perfect, but better. I was ecstatic.

Still, the protocol being what it is, while on a holiday I set it aside to "enjoy" my three weeks off. Bad choice. Everything returned SO quickly. It was terrifying. At that point, I did consult a Bredesen-aligned physician but could not afford the package and so committed to do what I could on my own with the help of my own doctor. Unfortunately, because I was functioning almost normally and the doctor who knew me and would have taken me seriously had just retired, I was unable to convince my new physician to refer me to the world-class memory clinic in the city close to where I live. Following a circuitous route related to the fact that I am an ovarian cancer survivor (ten years! Yay!!), I was able to get referred to that clinic a year later and had a very good consult with a doctor there. (While I know she is well respected, she did not respond at all when I shared that I was using the Bredesen protocol; I couldn't tell if she was aware of it or not... I do not see her again until April or later given COVID's rewriting of all appointment schedules....)

That's when I had the SPECT scan which shows there is no neurological degeneration. I had no baseline SPECT done and I don't know what the implications of that are with respect to the result. What exactly does the result mean? Does it mean that I NEVER had any measurable degeneration AT ALL or does it mean that, while on the protocol, my brain has recovered and is functioning well, that whatever the SPECT scan measures shows it is normal but that if I stopped the protocol for a length of time, the results might be different. The implications would be pertinent for diagnostic reasons; I intend to stay on the protocol either way but I might be a little more likely to risk testing one or another supplement to see if there was a marked difference.

Thanks so much!
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Re: Post-Baseline SPECT results

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onceuponatime wrote:My SPECT scan shows no neurological degeneration. What does that mean given the fact I was on the protocol for 18 months before I was able to get it done? ...

I had no baseline SPECT done and I don't know what the implications of that are with respect to the result. What exactly does the result mean? Does it mean that I NEVER had any measurable degeneration AT ALL or does it mean that, while on the protocol, my brain has recovered and is functioning well, that whatever the SPECT scan measures shows it is normal but that if I stopped the protocol for a length of time, the results might be different. The implications would be pertinent for diagnostic reasons; I intend to stay on the protocol either way but I might be a little more likely to risk testing one or another supplement to see if there was a marked difference.

Thanks so much!
Welcome back, onceuponatime!

What a great question--because you're arriving at a realization that is only gradually being understood about the differences between having a risk for Alzheimer's disease (ApoE 3/4 in your case) with one or more signs of changes in "subjective cognitive impairment" and having the indications seen sometimes decades later of actual neuro-degeneration on a scan. Similar to how a concussion can wreak havoc with functioning without showing up on a CT scan (since it causes changes at the cellular level, not the structures seen on a CT scan), the changes we experience early on in thinking are more likely to be caused by things we can still work on (metabolism, inflammation, infection, toxins, vascular health) than by dramatic changes in our brains visible on a scan.

I don't know of cases where brain atrophy has been reversed but I do know of cases where people with traumatic brain injury (including Stavia, the physician who wrote the PRIMER) have shown great cognitive "resilience" in the face of brain injury. Similarly, post-mortem brain scans have shown than some people have large amounts of amyloid and tau even though they tested as cognitively normal within months of their death from other causes.

So as a non-health professional, I would say you have shown the wide-ranging benefits we can experience in our choices for diet, exercise, stress reduction, sleep, social engagement, occupation (in your case, pastoral care in your faith) and supplements (when needed), long before any signs of neurodegeneration have a chance to take hold.


I found this article in Stanford Health Care:Brain Scans and Dementia to be helpful in understanding the uses of different types of brain scans, and highlighted some areas:
The most common types of brain scans are computed tomographic (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Doctors frequently request a CT or MRI scan of the brain when they are examining a patient with suspected dementia...MRI scans...can detect the same problems as CT scans but they are better for identifying certain conditions, such as brain atrophy and damage from small strokes or subtle ischemia.
...
Several other types of brain scans allow researchers to watch the brain as it functions... Functional brain scans include functional MRI (fMRI), single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). fMRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to measure the metabolic changes that take place in active parts of the brain. SPECT shows the distribution of blood in the brain, which generally increases with brain activity.

PET scans can detect changes in glucose metabolism, presence of amyloid proteins, oxygen metabolism, and blood flow, all of which can reveal abnormalities of brain function. MEG shows the electromagnetic fields produced by the brain's neuronal activity. Currently, the use of PET to detect the tau protein is only available through research.


Warm wishes for you to file away this scan as good news in 2020, and for continued benefit from being able to take your own measurements for what works for you!
4/4 and still an optimist!
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onceuponatime
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Re: Post-Baseline SPECT results

Post by onceuponatime »

Thank you SO much for your response. I do know that the changes I have made in my diet, and my exercise regimen and the supplements I have added to my daily maintenance have made a huge difference. As the science continues to explore and fine tune the realities associated with cognitive dementia, I know much will need to be tuned in our practices, but it is certainly encouraging to know that the effort we put in can have long (even life-long) benefits which, as you've noted, can completely mask what is really happening in the brain. Again, thank you for your prompt response.
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