ASA Health MD

SPECT: seeing how your brain works.

Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography measures blood flow across your brain in three dimensions. MRI shows what the brain looks like. SPECT shows how it functions, region by region, at rest and during cognitive tasks.

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Brain imaging visualization showing regional activity patterns.

The Technology

What SPECT measures

SPECT uses a small dose of a radiopharmaceutical tracer to measure cerebral blood flow. Brain tissue takes up the tracer in proportion to local blood flow, which closely tracks neural activity. A gamma camera then images where the tracer went and builds a three-dimensional functional map of which regions are working hard and which are underactive.

The result is a functional picture of your brain (MRI provides the structural one). Patterns of underactivity, overactivity and asymmetry across brain regions correlate strongly with the symptoms patients feel, from attention, focus and mood to anxiety, sleep and post-injury cognitive changes.

A clinical visualization of brain activity scan data.

What It Shows

Patterns SPECT can reveal

SPECT is particularly useful when symptoms point to a change in how the brain functions. Where MRI may appear normal, SPECT often shows the underlying pattern driving the symptoms.

  • Traumatic brain injury: characteristic decreases in activity even when MRI is normal, often years after the injury
  • Attention disorders: frontal-lobe activity patterns that help explain executive function challenges
  • Anxiety and depression: limbic and frontal patterns that differentiate clinical subtypes
  • Cognitive decline: early functional changes that come before any visible structural change on MRI
  • Toxic exposure: global suppression patterns that suggest environmental or medication-related impact
  • Post-COVID cognitive symptoms: emerging functional patterns that clinical research is actively documenting
Detailed brain imaging interpretation in a clinical setting.

Candidates

Who SPECT is for

We recommend SPECT when the picture is still unclear after a complete neurological evaluation: symptoms are present, structural imaging (MRI) is normal or unhelpful, and qEEG findings need more context. It is particularly valuable for patients with post-concussion symptoms, atypical mood and attention presentations, and functional cognitive changes.

SPECT is not the right test for everyone. Cost, radiation exposure (low but real) and the specific clinical question all factor in. We recommend it when its answer will meaningfully change the treatment plan.

A focused individual reflecting on their cognitive health.

The Process

What to expect

Your SPECT scan takes place at a partnered imaging facility. Dr. Lee then interprets it and brings it together with your other findings.

  1. 01

    Pre-scan consultation

    We review your symptoms, history and goals to confirm SPECT is the right next step, and discuss preparation, radiation considerations and what we hope to learn.

  2. 02

    Scan day: rest study

    You receive a small tracer dose by injection, wait quietly while it is taken up, then rest during a 20–30 minute scan. The visit takes about 90 minutes in total.

  3. 03

    Scan day: concentration study

    An optional second scan during a cognitive task compares resting and working brain activity. It adds 60–90 minutes to the day, and we recommend it for many patients.

  4. 04

    Integrated interpretation

    Dr. Lee personally reviews your SPECT data alongside your evaluation findings, history and any other imaging or testing. It is never sent to a remote radiology reading service.

  5. 05

    Results review

    A 1–2 hour session to walk through the findings together. You see your own scans, learn what the patterns mean and leave with a specific treatment plan.

Why ASA Health MD

Your SPECT, read in context

  • Functional view

    SPECT shows how your brain functions in real time, which is often what your symptoms reflect.

  • Integrated reading

    Your SPECT is interpreted alongside your evaluation, your full history and any relevant qEEG or MRI.

  • Physician-led review

    Dr. Lee personally reviews your scans and walks you through them. You won't get a faxed report from a remote radiologist.

  • Action-oriented

    A scan is only worth doing if it guides what we do next. Every SPECT result leads to specific next-step recommendations.

Common Questions

What patients ask before scheduling a SPECT

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Ready to learn more?

Schedule your SPECT consultation

Begin with a 60-minute consultation with Dr. Lee. Together we will decide whether SPECT is the right tool for your clinical question and what it could tell us.

Book Consultation(972) 612-1900

5508 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093