dr Amen Clinics: Services, Costs, Reviews & Locations | brain health (2023)

FAQs

How much does it cost to get a brain scan with Dr Amen? ›

The brain activity he says he sees in these scans — areas of high and low activity — allows him to target those areas with specific treatments and medication, he says. A full initial session, including two scans, costs about $3,500.

Critics of Amen interviewed by The Daily Beast say he is a “charlatan” whose techniques are “snake oil.” They say his brain scans cannot show the things he claims and his celebrity endorsements and social media channels are selling expensive scans and false hope to people at their most vulnerable.

Harriet Hall, a former Air Force flight surgeon who writes about pseudoscience, told the Observer in 2016 that Amen "charges patients thousands of dollars to inject them with radioactive compounds and show them pretty colored pictures of their brains without any credible evidence that it adds to the diagnostic or ...

Brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) is a state-of-the-art brain mapping tool that can give psychiatrists more information to help their patients more effectively. SPECT is a nuclear medicine study that is proven to reliably evaluate blood flow and activity in the brain.

These services and products, moreover, don't come cheap. An initial consultation at one of Dr. Amen's clinics costs $400. A SPECT examination, consisting of two scans, one at rest and one while concentrating, costs $3,950, which most medical insurance does not cover.

While many brain conditions can be serious or life-threatening, it's important to realize that an MRI of the brain isn't something that should be scary. It's a beneficial process that can help your medical team spot potential problems and offer treatment before the issues develop into something more severe.

How Much Does a Brain SPECT Cost? On MDsave, the cost of a Brain SPECT ranges from $1441 to $2817. Those on high deductible health plans or without insurance can shop, compare prices and save. Read more about how MDsave works.

Cost and Health Insurance

Your insurance may require prior authorization in order to cover your SPECT scan. Be sure to check with the company on whether and to what extent the scan is covered so you'll know what, if any, costs you'll need to cover. SPECT scans, without insurance coverage, can cost over $1,000.

Amen's practices use single-photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT, scans of brain activity in an attempt to compare the activity of a person's brain to a known healthy model. Amen prescribes both medication and non-medicative courses of treatment, depending on the case.

A SPECT test creates a detailed, 3D map of the blood flow activity in your brain, which can be helpful in determining which parts of the brain are being affected by: Clogged blood vessels.

What does Amen clinic treat? ›

The Amen Clinics Method is different. Our database, with over 200,000 brain scans, helps us more successfully identify various types of ADD, anxiety, depression, and many other mental health conditions, so you get the answers you've been looking for. – Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

In addition, brain SPECT imaging showed the ability to distinguish depression or dementia in people with both with 83% accuracy.

However, SPECT has issues, including long scan times and low-resolution images prone to artifacts and attenuation. Some artifacts can easily be misidentified as perfusion defects. SPECT also does not provide a quantifiable estimate of the blood flow, whereas PET does, experts say.

SPECT is currently one of the most widely available imaging techniques for the study of brain function. It has been used successfully for the diagnosis of dementias since the 1980's, while PET made its way to the clinic in the following decade.

A single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan is an imaging test that shows how blood flows to tissues and organs. It may be used to help diagnose seizures, stroke, stress fractures, infections, and tumors in the spine.

The average cost of a brain CT scan can range between $825 to $4,800, while a brain MRI cost tends to range from $1,600 to $8,400 on average. Hospitals tend to charge more for a scan than a standalone facility.

Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics, or SMART™ Brain Training, teaches techniques that prime the brain to calibrate mental energy, reinforce strategic thinking and ignite innovation.

Magnetic resonance imaging produces clearer images compared to a CT scan. In instances when doctors need a view of soft tissues, an MRI is a better option than x-rays or CTs. MRIs can create better pictures of organs and soft tissues, such as torn ligaments and herniated discs, compared to CT images.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses changes in electrically charged molecules in a magnetic field to form images of the brain. Both technologies are more precise than ordinary X-rays and can help find problems when people fall ill.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan

MRI scans are very good for looking at the brain and spinal cord and are considered the best way to look for tumors in these areas. The images they provide are usually more detailed than those from CT scans (described below).

Will a SPECT scan show a brain tumor? ›

SPECT scans are often used for diagnosing and monitoring treatment for brain tumors and cancers affecting bones. SPECT scans are done by injecting a small amount of radioactive isotope, or tracer, into a vein. The tracer travels to places in the body where there is tumor activity.

How long does a SPECT-CT scan take? It takes 30–40 minutes to obtain the SPECT and CT images, then you are allowed to leave.

PET Scan Images are Clearer

PET scan images are generally reported to offer a higher resolution of 5 to 7 mm, compared with a cardiac SPECT scan resolution of 12 to 15 mm. With a higher resolution, radiologists can detect changes to the heart's blood flow at a granular level.

SPECT scans have the possibility of facilitating the subtyping of mental illnesses, such as depression, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and aggression based on brain system pathophysiology.

Outpatient diagnostic tests, like CT scans, are covered under Medicare Part B as long as they're medically necessary and ordered by a Medicare-approved provider.

Brain scans alone cannot be used to diagnose a mental disorder, such as autism, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. In some cases, a brain scan might be used to rule out other medical illnesses, such as a tumor, that could cause symptoms similar to a mental disorder, such as depression.

The best strategy to balance Brain Type 8 is to find natural ways to boost dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. Magnesium and theanine can also help, as can optimizing levels of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.

There are 3 supplements we typically recommend to all of our patients because they are critical to optimal brain function: a multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D.

Type Eight in Brief

Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating.

Your scan will take approximately 30 minutes. During this time you will be required to lie flat on your back, without moving. Using a special nuclear medicine camera, pictures of your brain will be obtained.

Can a CT scan of the brain detect dementia? ›

A CT scan is a type of X-ray that uses radiation to produce images of the brain or other parts of the body. A head CT can show shrinkage of brain regions that may occur in dementia, as well as signs of other possible sources of disease, such as an infection or blood clot.

They are associated with biological changes in the brain. Brain SPECT scans show that overactivity in the basal ganglia is commonly seen in anxiety, but there can also be other brain areas with abnormal activity depending on which of the 7 types of anxiety/depression a person may have.

Amen is derived from the Hebrew āmēn, which means “certainty,” “truth,” and “verily.” It is found in the Hebrew Bible, and in both the Old and New Testament. In English, the word has two primary pronunciations: [ ah-men ] or [ ey-men ].

That way, we know how to treat more effectively. In fact, scan guided TMS results in an 80-85% success rate at Amen Clinics. Research supports our experience: that scan guided TMS provides better results than non-scan guided TMS.

Cost and Health Insurance

Your insurance may require prior authorization in order to cover your SPECT scan. Be sure to check with the company on whether and to what extent the scan is covered so you'll know what, if any, costs you'll need to cover. SPECT scans, without insurance coverage, can cost over $1,000.

Health insurance typically covers authorized MRIs. You may still encounter some out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, copays, or coinsurance.

Amen Clinics is different because we use a brain imaging diagnostic tool called SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) to help accurately identify underlying brain issues that can contribute to symptoms. This means you get the right diagnosis and most effective treatment for faster healing.

On MDsave, the cost of a Brain SPECT ranges from $1441 to $2817. Those on high deductible health plans or without insurance can shop, compare prices and save. Read more about how MDsave works.

How Much Does a SPECT Scan Cost? SPECT scans are one of the more affordable ways to image the brain, but prices can fluctuate a lot based on location, the purpose of the scan, and what additional interpretation is involved. According to MDsave, brain SPECT scans range from $1,300 to over $3,500.

Why MRIs Are So Expensive: Hospital Costs. Overhead costs can help explain why hospitals charge so much for MRIs. The hospital must buy the MRI equipment and then pay to keep it maintained and updated. Additionally, the MRI administrator charges fees to the hospital.

Can a scan detect brain damage? ›

X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans can detect fractures, hemorrhages, swelling, and certain kinds of tissue damage, but they do not always detect traumatic brain injury.

Medicare typically covers MRI scans when your doctor determines that it's medically required to reach a diagnosis. MRI scans are classified as “ diagnostic non-laboratory tests ” under Medicare Part B.

Brain CT scans can provide more detailed information about brain tissue and brain structures than standard X-rays of the head, thus providing more data related to injuries and/or diseases of the brain. During a brain CT, the X-ray beam moves in a circle around the body, allowing many different views of the brain.

​September 2021, the 11.7 Tesla MRI of the Iseult project, the most powerful in the world for human imaging, has just unveiled its first images.

Your scan will take approximately 30 minutes. During this time you will be required to lie flat on your back, without moving. Using a special nuclear medicine camera, pictures of your brain will be obtained.