Volumetric MRI locations

[PeterS]

Hello, this is my first post. I have one copy of APOE4 (23AndMe). I just discovered Bredesen's book and I want to get a baseline before beginning ReCODE. Great emphasis is placed in the book on the value of quantitative brain volumetric MRI scans for validating progress. Since I don't have any symptoms that rise to pathological levels, my doctor is not going to order a scan through the health care system, so I have to find one on my own. Bredesen says (p.241) that these tests are around $100, so I thought it would be easy to find one.

Wrong. I have spent several hours Googling this site and many others without luck. The Cortech (vendor of NeuroQuant) site links to a map of locations, yet none of the ones whose web sites I visited mentioned NeuroQuant or volumetrics. None of them list fees for brain scans. I am located in British Columbia (but willing to travel as far as Los Angeles); although Cortech says they are approved to market NeuroQuant in Canada their map includes no locations in Canada and I found only one mention anywhere else, a Calgary doctor saying that there is only one NeuroQuant facility in Canada, but not saying which one (and by implication, it isn't his). I'm near Victoria on the island, I've googled the ones near Vancouver and none of them mention brain volumetrics. Very few cite fees and the ones that do say "Starting at $995," so I can only assume Bredesen left out a zero.

That reduces me at the moment to telephoning every MRI clinic in order of distance from me until I find one that knows what NeuroQuant is. This is absurd and frustrating. If this is how online grocery shopping worked everyone would give up and only eat what they could grow themselves.

Can anyone here on the West Coast please report on where they got a volumetric scan? Whether you did it privately and at what cost? Thanks.

[mike]

Hello, this is my first post. I have one copy of APOE4 (23AndMe). I just discovered Bredesen's book and I want to get a baseline before beginning ReCODE.

I was able to go to NeuroQuant's web site https://www.cortechslabs.com/locations/ and find an area near me. Turns out there is one in my county (Sonoma, just north of San Francisco), but there are also many in the Seattle area, though none in Canada, at least on this map... I have not yet had mine, but I've started the process rolling. Sounds like it may be around US $600
Edit - went ahead and scheduled the NeuroQuant, and turns out that my insurance is actually covering most of it! My doctor who ordered it said no way they would without symptoms...

[Davida]

Hello, this is my first post. I have one copy of APOE4 (23AndMe). I just discovered Bredesen's book and I want to get a baseline before beginning ReCODE.

Hi PeterS and welcome to the Apoe4 site. Glad you posted. Sorry to hear of your frustrations and hours spent searching for information to no avail. I commend you on your perseverance and proaction. Continued patience and luck moving forward. There are several conversations on our site pertaining to MRI volumetrics. The search function, using the magnifying glass on the top right side of the tool bar is useful for such topics. This may be where you already gathered some information. Also our forum threads are showing up in Google searches. I noticed this when I typed in NeuroQuant. There are some radiology clinics that offer cash pay that can be less than insurance covers. Hopefully some in your area. Also, perhaps Mike's information above is helpful and that others more knowledgeable in this area will chime in. Viewing Primer if you haven't already done so offers a wealth of information and prioritizes lifestyle interventions for prevention.
Please continue to post, what you are learning will help all of us. We are here to support and encourage each other.

My best, Davida

[CarrieS]

Good Morning PeterS,
I wrote a note to myself to check in to WAVi testing so did some research into my local options. I live in Washington State and have found this resource https://onpointneuro.com/qeeg-brain-mapping/ located in Bellevue. They do a QEEG brain assessment. I found a price in the Contact tab, "QEEG Brain Health Scans & Baseline Concussion Testing – 90min/$350.00". I have not pursued testing yet. Please let us know what you end up choosing to do and what you learn about it.
Carrie

[Julie G]

The neuroquant is an add-on to an MRI. The MRI is the pricey part, the neuroquant is around $100. You have to use an MRI with specific parameters so identifying a site via Mike’s link is a great idea. Most docs will order an MRI if you mention frequent headaches.

[Julie G]

I identified the single NeuroQuant provider in all of Canada, in Calgary. Sadly, it looks like only private pay is accepted. Read more here.

[TheBrain]

Let me add that a big problem is getting proper interpretation of the reports that NeuroQuant generates. The first radiologist told me that interpreting them was beyond the scope of his practice; he didn’t even look at them. So I sought out a “second read” from a second radiologist. He knew how to read the one report about the hippocampal volume, but he knew nothing about the Triage Brain Atrophy report, which is where the volumes of various brain structures are reported. Also, both radiologsts’ interpretations of my MRI images were way off compared to what was actually true, based on the Triage Brain Atrophy Report. I’ve reported on the forum what I learned regarding what percentiles based on age and gender constitute atrophy.

Also, Dr. Mary Ackerley offers consultations via phone or Skype for her interpretation of these reports, yet she neglected to mention my cerebral white matter atrophy for some unknown reason. I discovered that myself. Still, I’m very glad I met with her. I have yet to have a good overall understanding of what the atrophy in my brain, especially in my cerebral white matter, means for me now and in the future.

All that said, I’m glad I had the NeuroQuant done, and I’ve learned a lot on my own. At some point, I’ll make another push to find an expert who can help me better understand my NeuroQuant results. Thus far (and on my own), I highly suspect mold toxicity is the cause of my white matter atrophy.

Good luck getting your needs met! I think you are wise to get a baseline prior to starting ReCode.