Brain Scans-Fact or Folly?
by Susan Resko, The Balanced Mind Foundation Executive Director
As a parent, I know how desperate we are to help our struggling children. As an advocate for families living with mood disorders, I also know that this desperation can make us vulnerable to costly and unproven treatments and technologies.
Many parents have spent thousands of dollars on brain scans to diagnose or identify treatment options for their child’s bipolar disorder. Time and time again, The Balanced Mind Foundation parents report about a clinic that is doing ”cutting edge” research.
I want to set the record straight: At this time, brain scans cannot be used to diagnose bipolar disorder. No ifs, ands or buts. Neither fMRIs, CTs, EEG, PET, MEG, NIRS or SPECT scans useful at this time in diagnosis or treatment of an individual who may be suffering from bipolar disorder. I hear this debate so often that I have repeatedly brought it to experts and researchers. I always receive the same reaction—a dumbfounded look and questioning eye. (“Is she serious? Do many parents really think there is validity to this misnomer?”)
This issue has recently come up again, and so I asked two of The Balanced Mind Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Council members who are experts in brain imaging for their take on the technology:
“I would advise families to participate in a scientific research study for a good cause where possible, rather than paying for expensive brain scans thinking they can get an answer.”
Mani Pavuluri, MD PhD
Professor and Director, Pediatric Brain Research and Intervention Center
Berger-Colbeth Endowed Chair in Child Psychiatry
University of Illinois at Chicago
“At this point, brain scans are useful to compare groups of patients with bipolar disorder to groups of healthy individuals. Imaging or brain scans cannot be used to diagnose a specific individual with bipolar disorder. Brain scans, such as an MRI, may be useful in an individual to rule out other potential causes of the symptoms the patient is experiencing. In the future, brain scans will likely be useful to identify who will be most likely to respond to a particular treatment, to identify who will develop bipolar disorder in individuals at risk for developing this illness, and to diagnose individuals with bipolar disorder; but not presently.”
Melissa DelBello, M.D., M.S.
Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Vice Chair of Clinical Research
Co-Director, Division of Bipolar Disorders Research
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
“While some media reports have described that bipolar disorder can be diagnosed using brain imaging scans (such as SPECT scans), research does not currently support these claims. Currently, no biological test can determine if your child has bipolar disorder—not blood tests, genetic testing, or brain scans.”
I wish I could tell you differently. I wish that we had better diagnostic and treatment tools for our children. The Balanced Mind Foundation shares with you the most credible information that we do have. Together, we can join forces to advocate for more research for our children. When a cutting edge treatment or diagnostic tool is validated, you can look to The Balanced Mind Foundation to share this groundbreaking news with you.
In the meantime, help us support the hundreds of new families who come to The Balanced Mind Foundation each month. Share your story on our forums. Recommend a doctor who has helped your child. Rate your doctor on our Find a Doctor Directory. Make a donation so that we have the continued resources to share the latest updates with you.
(For a nice summary of brain scans, check out this article by our friends at PychCentral http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/types-of-brain-imaging-techniques/)