Pictures Tell the Story on Temporal Lobe Injuries

Temporal lobe injury can look in the office like bipolar:

So let's take a quick look at SPECT pictures that can make a difference for your family or your patient for the rest of their lives. No need to loose a kidney getting this one wrong.

These are two pictures of brain injury taken from presentations I make teaching professionals how to use scans in their offices.

Temporal lobes are at 3 and 9 o'clock in this picture, with big dents. If they are dented they are cold and the relative cerebral blood flow is diminished. If they are smooth like Indian Burial Mounds, no problem with the surface function, could still be hot inside. More later on hot. Cold is either injury or metabolic dysregulation. The blood is not flowing, the brain is not dead, just the governor is turned down and isn't working right.

Now here is another view, different brain, temporal lobes at 3 & 9 that look like it should, and has no
temporal lobe problems with anger, word searching and just not getting it when listening.

Certainly does make a difference, and could have a significant, more predictable outcome with different meds. The cold temporals above will be much more sensitive to
stimulants or antidepressants!

Always nice to start with a new brain view on Monday…