Ever had a scan done of your brain?

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Has anyone ever participatd in an Asperger Study? What I mean is some of them have brain imaging or something....I would love to get this done. I want to know what is so different about my brain from everyone else. Has anyone ever had an brain scanning or imaging done? What were you told about yor results if you did? Is it a white matter grey matter thing, size? What?

I've had an EEG done before if that counts as anything.


-SpaceCase

I too have had an EEG, apparently it was normal.

I had a CAT Scan done upon my first admission to the hospital in high school. But I never got to see the pictures.

But they told me there was nothing to worry about. So I assume my individual structures were fairly normal.

The only difference I had from normal was that my corpus calosem is larger and more developed than my genders supposed to be.

I would also love to have brain imaging done, but alas, I do not know how I would get myself into something like that. Would I need to be diagnosed in order to take part in any such study?

Another question: What are EEG, CAT, MRI, and miscellaneous other alphanumeric abbreviations relating to brain scans?

An EEG is a recording of electrical signals from the brain made by hooking up electrodes to the subject's scalp

CAT- High resolution magnetic resonance image of normal brain with CAT scan

MRI- same as a cat but more clear

Electroencephalogram (EEG): measures the electricity of the brain


STATIC PICTURES

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): person gets into the scan, hydrogen atoms within the body are aligned by a huge magnet beneath the person from within the machine, a brief radio wave disrupts the hydrogen atoms, the electromagnetic energy is released and the change is recorded, giving an image of the brain.

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT): utilizing x-rays, multiple pictures are taken of the brain from within the machine at different angles.


FUNCTIONAL PICTURES (the brain in action)

Positron Emission Tomography (PET): the subject is injected with a radioactive isotope-- 2-deoxyglucose-- then two radioactive rays are shot through the body (while the person in inside the PET). From these gamma rays, glucose can be highlighted on the scan and show the areas where more sugar is used in the brain. The more active areas, as theory goes, will have higher levels of glucose, thus creating a picture of the brain.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): measures the magnetic change in the brain when oxygen is released by the hemoglobin in the blood. More oxygen is supposedly used in the more active areas.

These technologies, whilst being widely recognised, appear to be beyond the remit of the British NHS. They cost money, therefore if an individual such as myself wanted such an analysis (and I personally think I have good reason for wanting it), I would have to pay the current market rates for it.

thanks SOPHIST!! ! Your so detailed!!

I think CAT scans are the cheapest and one of the first scans insurances will pay for. The rest, one really has to push to get them. fMRIs are probably the best choice-- if one can choose.

I had an EEG done. Normal. An MRI of my brian was also done. They found nothing.




Uhh, I mean-

wait-

shut up.

I had a CAT scan done many years ago, when I was having some seizures problems.