You are correct it is not a brain scan(MRI). It was an EEG which is converted into a colored map. Commonly known as “brain mapping”.

@A MyAutismTeam Member It sounds like what you had done was an EEG (electroencephalogram) which is not a brain scan. It uses electrodes to track electrical impulses in the brain and is used to diagnose problems in overall brain function such as seizures, stroke, sleep or memory problems, etc. An MRI is a large tube shaped device that creates a magnetic field and radio waves to map the brain. It's different than a CT scan or XRAY that uses radiation.

The way I see it, an EEG is essentially a recording of how the brain operates. An MRI is an actual picture that can show precisely where there is an abnormality of functionality. Whether it's worth it or not, I can't say. Only a doctor can.

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A MyAutis...

I had it done when I was about 17. They put a bunch of sticky wires in my hair and just showed areas of my brain function. It really didn’t help anything and didn’t show anything that we hadn’t figured out already. I still didn’t get a diagnosis of autism until I was 39. At that age they had me diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder. It is very expensive and I guess it all depends on what you want out of it. It showed obviously that I was very anxious but that was obvious anyway without hundreds of dollars an hour.