Although the brain is complex and interconnected, neuroscientists have learned that certain brain systems are specialized and involved in controlling certain functions. This chapter gives you a basic understanding of brail anatomy and the latest information on brain function as it applies to anxiety and depression. It is estimated that the brain has more than 2,000 individual structures. To make things more manageable and easier to understand, neuroscientists divide the brain into lobes, or larger systems. The brain is typically divided into cortical (outside surface of the brain) and subcortical (deep brain areas) structures. The cortex is divided into four lobes: the frontal lobes, temporal lobes, parietal lobes, and occipital lobes. A useful, broad generalization is that the back half of the brain takes in and perceives the world, while the front half of the brain integrates incoming information with past experience and plans and executes behavior.
Through our imaging work we have seen that there are five major systems involved with behavior. As much as we have discovered, it is clear to us that we are only at the very beginning stages of understanding brain function and behavior. The information we present here is based on our own experience and what we have learned through the study and application of what other scientists have discovered. What is thought to be true now is likely to be revised time and time again as neuroscientists continue to learn about the brain. The treatment protocols and diagnostic equipment that we consider state of the art today will seem primitive as technology continues to progress.
Basal Ganglia Functions
sets the body's idle or anxiety level integrates feeling and movement shifts and smoothes fine-motor behavior suppresses unwanted motor behaviors enhances motivation
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Saturday, 13 December 2008
The Brain Systems: Anxiety and Depression
The brain is the organ that ultimately experiences anxiety and depression because it is the organ of our personality. In fact, the brain controls mood, personality, intelligence, and adaptability. It exp our hopes and dreams, sorrows and pain. Sometimes the brain is the sole cause of anxiety and depression; sometimes it is simply the organ that experiences the results of too much life stress. Usually anxiety and depressive illnesses are the result of a combination of brain vulnerability and life stresses. In order to understand the seven types of anxiety and depressive illnesses as fully as possible, it is important to understand the underlying brain systems involved in feelings and behavior.
The brain is involved in everything you do. The actual physical function ing of your brain heavily influences how well you get along with others, how you think, how you feel, and how you act. When your brain works right you tend to work right; when your brain doesn't work right it is very hard for you to be your best self. The brain is the most complex and powerful organ on earth. It is estimated that the brain contains 100 billion nerve cells, and each of these cells is connected to other cells through hundreds or, in some cases, thousands, of individual connections. It is estimated that the brain has more than 1,000,000,000,000,000 connections within it—more connections than there are stars in the universe. Each part of the brain is vastly interconnected with other parts of the brain. The brain is also very soft, about the consistency of soft butter. It is housed in a very hard skull with many bony ridges, which means it can easily be damaged. The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds, or about 2 percent of the body's weight, yet it is the body's major energy consumer, using approximately 20 percent of the body's energy.
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The brain is involved in everything you do. The actual physical function ing of your brain heavily influences how well you get along with others, how you think, how you feel, and how you act. When your brain works right you tend to work right; when your brain doesn't work right it is very hard for you to be your best self. The brain is the most complex and powerful organ on earth. It is estimated that the brain contains 100 billion nerve cells, and each of these cells is connected to other cells through hundreds or, in some cases, thousands, of individual connections. It is estimated that the brain has more than 1,000,000,000,000,000 connections within it—more connections than there are stars in the universe. Each part of the brain is vastly interconnected with other parts of the brain. The brain is also very soft, about the consistency of soft butter. It is housed in a very hard skull with many bony ridges, which means it can easily be damaged. The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds, or about 2 percent of the body's weight, yet it is the body's major energy consumer, using approximately 20 percent of the body's energy.
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Brain patterns that would clearly define the two illnesses
When we first started studying anxiety and depression we thought we would discover evidence of brain patterns that would clearly define the two illnesses. We thought we would see signature patterns for each illness. We were wrong. There was not one brain pattern for anxiety and one for depression; there were many different patterns. Of course, once we thought through the problem it was foolish to think that one pattern would fit all people with depression or anxiety. After all, everyone who is anxious or depressed does not respond to the same medication or the same form of psychotherapy.
As we studied the different patterns we made some other exciting discoveries. We noticed that certain brain patterns responded to specific treatments, while other brain patterns were made worse by traditional treatments. We started to use the scan information like radar to guide us in our treatment choices, and in doing so we saw our patients improve from the more precise treatment. Over time, we grouped the patterns for anxiety and depression into seven different categories and developed treatment protocols tor each one.
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As we studied the different patterns we made some other exciting discoveries. We noticed that certain brain patterns responded to specific treatments, while other brain patterns were made worse by traditional treatments. We started to use the scan information like radar to guide us in our treatment choices, and in doing so we saw our patients improve from the more precise treatment. Over time, we grouped the patterns for anxiety and depression into seven different categories and developed treatment protocols tor each one.
If You Want Immediate Anxiety Relief, Check Out Our New Natural Technique To Stop Panic Attacks and General Anxiety Fast!
Friday, 12 December 2008
Brain SPECT studies
Brain SPECT studies were initially used in the late 1960s and early to mid-1970s. CT and the more sophisticated MRI anatomical studies replaced SPECT studies in the late 1970s and 1980s. At the time, the resolution (image clarity) of those studies was superior to SPECT for seeing tumors, cysts, and blood clots. Yet, despite their clarity, CT scans and MRIs could offer images of only a static brain and its anatomy; they gave no information about the activity of a working brain. In the last decade it has become increasingly recognized that many neurological and psychiatric disorders are not disorders of the brain's anatomy, but are problems of brain function.
Two technological advancements have once again encouraged the use of SPECT studies. The early SPECT cameras were called single-headed.
They used only one imaging device and took as long as one lour to rotate around a person's brain. People had trouble holding still for that long, the images were fuzzy and hard to read (earning nuclear medicine the nickname "unclear medicine"), and they did not give much information about the activity levels of the deep brain structures. Then multi-headed Cameras were developed with special filters that imaged the brain faster with enhanced resolution. Advancements in computer technology allowed for Improved data acquisition. The brain SPECT studies of today, with their markedly improved resolution, can see deeper into the inner workings of the brain with far greater clarity.
We typically do two scans when we evaluate a patient's brain. We do a baseline scan during which the patient is asked to let his mind wander, and 0 concentration scan during which we challenge the brain with a computerized test that measures attention span and impulse control. We have found it most helpful to have both scans to see how the brain activates with or without concentration and to have a baseline scan for comparison.
We look for three things when we evaluate a SPECT study: areas of the brain that work well, areas of the brain that work too hard, and areas of the brain that do not work hard enough.
The images in this book represent two kinds of three-dimensional (3D) images of the brain. The first is a 3D surface image, which captures the top 45 percent of brain activity. It shows blood flow of the brain s cortical, or outside, surface. These images are helpful for visualizing areas of healthy blood flow and activity as well as seeing areas with diminished perfusion and activity. They are helpful in looking at strokes, brain trauma, and the effects from drug abuse. A healthy 3D surface scan shows good, full, symmetrical activity across the brain's cortical surface.
The second type of SPECT images we look at are 3D active brain images comparing average brain activity to the hottest 15 percent of activity. These images are helpful in visualizing overactive brain areas, as seen in active seizures, and many types of anxiety and depression, among other irregularities. A healthy 3D active scan shows increased activity, seen by the light color in the active scans below, in the back of the brain, the cerebellum, and visual, or occipital, cortex, and average activity everywhere else.
It is important to note that everyone's brain looks different. Brains are like faces and there is variation among them. From an aesthetic standpoint, on scans some brains are beautiful, while others are a bit misshapen and symmetrical activity. A healthy brain has all of its major parts intact and they work together in a relatively harmonious fashion. While there are normal age variations, the brain scans of children and teenagers reveal more activity than the brain scans of adults; even an elderly brain, if properly cared for during life, looks full, symmetrical, and healthy.
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Two technological advancements have once again encouraged the use of SPECT studies. The early SPECT cameras were called single-headed.
They used only one imaging device and took as long as one lour to rotate around a person's brain. People had trouble holding still for that long, the images were fuzzy and hard to read (earning nuclear medicine the nickname "unclear medicine"), and they did not give much information about the activity levels of the deep brain structures. Then multi-headed Cameras were developed with special filters that imaged the brain faster with enhanced resolution. Advancements in computer technology allowed for Improved data acquisition. The brain SPECT studies of today, with their markedly improved resolution, can see deeper into the inner workings of the brain with far greater clarity.
We typically do two scans when we evaluate a patient's brain. We do a baseline scan during which the patient is asked to let his mind wander, and 0 concentration scan during which we challenge the brain with a computerized test that measures attention span and impulse control. We have found it most helpful to have both scans to see how the brain activates with or without concentration and to have a baseline scan for comparison.
We look for three things when we evaluate a SPECT study: areas of the brain that work well, areas of the brain that work too hard, and areas of the brain that do not work hard enough.
The images in this book represent two kinds of three-dimensional (3D) images of the brain. The first is a 3D surface image, which captures the top 45 percent of brain activity. It shows blood flow of the brain s cortical, or outside, surface. These images are helpful for visualizing areas of healthy blood flow and activity as well as seeing areas with diminished perfusion and activity. They are helpful in looking at strokes, brain trauma, and the effects from drug abuse. A healthy 3D surface scan shows good, full, symmetrical activity across the brain's cortical surface.
The second type of SPECT images we look at are 3D active brain images comparing average brain activity to the hottest 15 percent of activity. These images are helpful in visualizing overactive brain areas, as seen in active seizures, and many types of anxiety and depression, among other irregularities. A healthy 3D active scan shows increased activity, seen by the light color in the active scans below, in the back of the brain, the cerebellum, and visual, or occipital, cortex, and average activity everywhere else.
It is important to note that everyone's brain looks different. Brains are like faces and there is variation among them. From an aesthetic standpoint, on scans some brains are beautiful, while others are a bit misshapen and symmetrical activity. A healthy brain has all of its major parts intact and they work together in a relatively harmonious fashion. While there are normal age variations, the brain scans of children and teenagers reveal more activity than the brain scans of adults; even an elderly brain, if properly cared for during life, looks full, symmetrical, and healthy.
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SPECT A Window into Anxiety and Depression
Before we go further, it is important to understand SPECT technology. SPECT stands for single photon emission computer tomography. It is a sophisticated nuclear medicine study that allows us to visualize brain blood flow and metabolism. In this study, a radioactive isotope is attached to a substance (Ceretec) that is easily taken up by the cells in the brain. A small amount of this compound is injected into a patient's vein, travels through the bloodstream, and locks into brain cells. As the isotope breaks down it releases energy in the form of gamma rays. The gamma rays are like beacons of light that signal where the compound is in the brain. People do not have allergic reactions to SPECT studies. Special crystals in the SPECT "gamma" camera detect these beacons of light as the camera rotates around the patient's head for about fifteen minutes. About 10 million gamma rays strike the crystals during a typical scan, and a supercomputer then translates this information into sophisticated blood flow/metabolism maps and three-dimensional images of the brain. Physicians and researchers use these maps to identify patterns of brain activity that correlate to healthy brain function and those that are associated with psychiatric and neurological illnesses.
SPECT imaging belongs to a branch of medicine called nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine studies measure the physiological functioning of the body. They are used to diagnose a multitude of medical conditions: heart disease, certain forms of infection, the spread of cancer, and bone and thyroid diseases. Brain SPECT studies help in the diagnosis of brain trauma, dementia, atypical or unresponsive mood disorders, strokes, seizures, the impact of drug abuse on brain function, complex forms of Attention Deficit Disorder, and atypical or aggressive behaviors.
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SPECT imaging belongs to a branch of medicine called nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine studies measure the physiological functioning of the body. They are used to diagnose a multitude of medical conditions: heart disease, certain forms of infection, the spread of cancer, and bone and thyroid diseases. Brain SPECT studies help in the diagnosis of brain trauma, dementia, atypical or unresponsive mood disorders, strokes, seizures, the impact of drug abuse on brain function, complex forms of Attention Deficit Disorder, and atypical or aggressive behaviors.
If You Want Immediate Anxiety Relief, Check Out Our New Natural Technique To Stop Panic Attacks and General Anxiety Fast!
Thursday, 11 December 2008
14-Days Plan Introduction
Sometimes we need another person to tell us where to go, what to do and what to say. We can become confused and disorientated when we suffer from depression. There is no obvious route to recovery. If we contract a major illness, for example, cancer, we are aware that there is a medical route for treatment and we probably know that there are various complementary therapies that are approved by the medical profession to help alongside traditional treatment. But if we are depressed it is hard to know where to go to receive help. There is little publicity about treating depression and the very nature of this state of mind renders us unable to think clearly, become assertive and demand assistance. When all we want to do is curl up in a ball and hide, it is very hard to force a sense of clarity out of ourselves.
This is a plan to help you find that clarity and meaning in your current state of mind and offer ways to sharpen your focus on moving out of depression. Whether you simply feel low or you are negotiating a way out of years of depression, this 14-day plan is adaptable to you. Each day offers tasks that will help you to feel better. You can move on to the following day when you feel you have had enough of the previous day's tasks. Conversely, you can jump ahead and try something that shines out at you.
If you are simply feeling a little low, you may want to skip through the 14 days in as many hours. If you undertake the tasks, you will find you feel more confident, your depression will have lifted and you will have a bounce in your step. If you have suffered from depression for a number of years, you may want to take each day's tasks on for some weeks at a time. Stay with each task until you feel saturated and you have had enough. You will be moving yourself in the right direction rather than floundering in a hopeless vacuum. If you decide to follow the plan through in 14 days, just like a 14-day did, at the end of it you may not have lost all your 'weight' but you will have the tools you need to get to your goal. The whole of the 14 days is designed as a sequence of tasks that can help to lift you up to the next step. They are written as a way to place the Ten Suggestions from Part 1 in a manage-able order that will create a sense of moving forward. They are designed to encompass everything you need to recover from depression.
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This is a plan to help you find that clarity and meaning in your current state of mind and offer ways to sharpen your focus on moving out of depression. Whether you simply feel low or you are negotiating a way out of years of depression, this 14-day plan is adaptable to you. Each day offers tasks that will help you to feel better. You can move on to the following day when you feel you have had enough of the previous day's tasks. Conversely, you can jump ahead and try something that shines out at you.
If you are simply feeling a little low, you may want to skip through the 14 days in as many hours. If you undertake the tasks, you will find you feel more confident, your depression will have lifted and you will have a bounce in your step. If you have suffered from depression for a number of years, you may want to take each day's tasks on for some weeks at a time. Stay with each task until you feel saturated and you have had enough. You will be moving yourself in the right direction rather than floundering in a hopeless vacuum. If you decide to follow the plan through in 14 days, just like a 14-day did, at the end of it you may not have lost all your 'weight' but you will have the tools you need to get to your goal. The whole of the 14 days is designed as a sequence of tasks that can help to lift you up to the next step. They are written as a way to place the Ten Suggestions from Part 1 in a manage-able order that will create a sense of moving forward. They are designed to encompass everything you need to recover from depression.
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Identify what triggers our depressed feelings
While staying with the momentum of recovery from depression, it is a good time for us to identify what triggers our depressed feelings. As we start to move away from feeling chronically depressed, we can become aware of what situations hook us back into that sinking, hopeless feeling that we are so used to. Our recovery is fragile to start with, but we build strength day by day.
If we take our journal and write out what scenarios push us backward, we can then be aware of them, and either avoid those situations or arm ourselves so we are prepared. Simply knowing what our triggers are will help us halfway towards conquering difficult circumstances.
EXAMPLES OF OTHER PEOPLE'S TRIGGERS ARE:
• Returning to the parental home
• Work appraisals
• Eating junk food
• Christmas
• Receiving an 'overdue for payment' letter
• Being rejected when asking someone on a date
• Husband/wife refusing sex
• Bingeing on drink and/or drugs
• A 'look' from an authority
• Self-recrimination
• Lack of exercise
When we are aware of our triggers we have choices. Choices offer us a new power and a new road to reclaiming our life.
If You Want Immediate Anxiety Relief, Check Out Our New Natural Technique To Stop Panic Attacks and General Anxiety Fast!
If we take our journal and write out what scenarios push us backward, we can then be aware of them, and either avoid those situations or arm ourselves so we are prepared. Simply knowing what our triggers are will help us halfway towards conquering difficult circumstances.
EXAMPLES OF OTHER PEOPLE'S TRIGGERS ARE:
• Returning to the parental home
• Work appraisals
• Eating junk food
• Christmas
• Receiving an 'overdue for payment' letter
• Being rejected when asking someone on a date
• Husband/wife refusing sex
• Bingeing on drink and/or drugs
• A 'look' from an authority
• Self-recrimination
• Lack of exercise
When we are aware of our triggers we have choices. Choices offer us a new power and a new road to reclaiming our life.
If You Want Immediate Anxiety Relief, Check Out Our New Natural Technique To Stop Panic Attacks and General Anxiety Fast!
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