HoldsUp

Daniel Amen

Dr. Daniel Amen is a researcher and author working in the field of neuroimaging and psychiatric health. His published research focuses primarily on using brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging to assess regional cerebral blood flow and neural connectivity. His work investigates functional brain imaging biomarkers across psychiatric and neurological conditions, including major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, cognitive disorders, and the effects of adverse childhood experiences.

60 claims checked on air: 7 context 2 contradicted 6 overstated 36 supported 9 unverified

What they said on air - citing their own research

8 citing their own research

0:24:15supportedlowtheir own paperRecognize Influences on the Brain - with Dr. Daniel Amen | T

Dr. Amen scanned and evaluated 300 NFL players in a study starting in 2009 and found high levels of brain damage.

"I did the big NFL study starting in 2009. We scanned and treated 300 NFL players: high levels of damage." (said at 0:24:15)

Dr. Amen and colleagues initiated an ongoing longitudinal study in 2009 evaluating active and retired NFL players using SPECT perfusion neuroimaging and clinical evaluations. Published findings from this cohort reported significant hypoperfusion across 36 brain regions consistent with traumatic brain injury in 161 NFL players compared to 124 healthy controls, and a pilot open-label intervention study evaluated and treated 30 players. The certainty is low due to observational and open-label study designs.

0:59:30needs contextlowtheir own paperRecognize Influences on the Brain - with Dr. Daniel Amen | T

A study by Daniel Amen in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that overweight and obese NFL players had lower blood flow in the prefrontal cortex compared to normal-weight players.

"So I actually did a study—I published a study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease in my NFL group, and we looked at NFL players who were overweight or obese versus those who were at a healthy weight. The overweight and obese one had low blood flow in their prefrontal cortex" (said at 0:59:30)

Daniel Amen published a study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (2020) examining regional cerebral blood flow via brain SPECT scans across BMI categories (underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese, morbidly obese). The study showed that higher BMI correlated with reduced cerebral blood flow across virtually all brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex and areas implicated in Alzheimer's disease. However, the speaker conflated this study with his earlier NFL cohort work: the published Journal of Alzheimer's Disease study on obesity and cerebral blood flow was conducted in a general adult psychiatric cohort of 17,721 participants (35,442 scans), not specifically in his NFL player group. As an observational cross-sectional imaging study from a private clinic network, the body of evidence provides low certainty.

1:00:00unverifiedvery lowtheir own paperRecognize Influences on the Brain - with Dr. Daniel Amen | T

Former NFL player Ed White lost 150 pounds participating in Dr. Daniel Amen's NFL weight loss group.

"And we did an NFL weight loss group, which was so much fun for me. I had Big Ed White become Little Ed White. He lost 150 pounds, which was really fun." (said at 1:00:00)

No published record matching the claim that former NFL player Ed White lost 150 pounds in Dr. Daniel Amen's weight loss group was located; this does not prove the claim false. Dr. Amen published a study detailing an open-label multi-component intervention in 30 retired NFL players that included weight loss where appropriate (PMID 21615001), but individual player identities and specific weight loss figures such as 150 pounds were not reported in peer-reviewed publications.

1:00:52supportedlowtheir own paperRecognize Influences on the Brain - with Dr. Daniel Amen | T

A published study by Daniel Amen examining 35,000 brain scans found a linear correlation where higher body weight was associated with decreased blood flow across virtually every brain region.

"I published a study last year on 35,000 scans showing there was, David, a linear correlation: as your weight went up, blood flow to virtually every area of your brain went down." (said at 1:00:52)

A 2020 cross-sectional study by Daniel Amen and colleagues analyzed 35,442 brain SPECT scans from 17,721 adults in a psychiatric clinic cohort across different BMI categories. The study reported that higher BMI was significantly correlated with decreased cerebral blood flow (hypoperfusion) during both resting and concentration tasks across virtually all 128 brain regions examined. Because this was a retrospective, cross-sectional observational study in a self-selected clinical population, it demonstrates association rather than direct causation.

0:12:25supportedvery lowtheir own paperProven Strategies to Prevent Disease - with Dr. Daniel Amen

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly improves cerebral blood flow in military personnel who suffered blast injuries.

"I published a study in the Journal of Neurotrauma on soldiers who had blast injuries: significant improvements in blood flow with hyperbaric oxygen." (said at 0:12:25)

A preliminary phase I clinical trial published in the Journal of Neurotrauma evaluated 16 military personnel with blast-induced mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury/post-concussion syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder treated with 40 sessions of 1.5 ATA hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) statistical parametric mapping analysis showed diffuse, statistically significant improvements in regional cerebral blood flow after 1 and 40 sessions. However, the evidence certainty is very low because the study was a small, open-label, uncontrolled pilot trial without a sham control group.

0:12:38supportedmoderatetheir own paperProven Strategies to Prevent Disease - with Dr. Daniel Amen

Meditation increases blood flow and neural activity in the frontal lobes.

"And meditation, which actually fooled us because, you know, you'd think meditation, it would calm everything down in the brain. Absolutely doesn't do that, especially in your frontal lobes; it increases blood flow and activity." (said at 0:12:38)

Functional neuroimaging and cerebral blood flow (CBF) studies demonstrate that meditation engages and increases neural activation and blood flow in frontal lobe regions, particularly the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate, rather than inducing generalized cerebral deactivation. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies show significant increases in regional cerebral blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbital frontal cortex, and cingulate gyrus during meditation, as well as higher baseline prefrontal CBF in experienced meditators. Coordinate-based fMRI meta-analyses similarly confirm consistent activation of fronto-medial and prefrontal networks during meditative practices, reflecting active attentional and executive control processes.

0:32:48needs contextlowtheir own paperProven Strategies to Prevent Disease - with Dr. Daniel Amen

Ninety-four percent of traumatic brain injuries affect the frontal lobes.

"so of traumatic brain injuries, 94% of them affect the frontal lobes" (said at 0:32:48)

The speaker claims that 94% of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) affect the frontal lobes. This statistic originates from a systematic review evaluating the clinical utility of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in TBI (Raji et al., 2014). The systematic review found that across cross-sectional brain SPECT imaging studies of TBI patients, the frontal lobes were the most common region showing neuroimaging abnormalities (94% of cross-sectional studies reported frontal lobe abnormalities, and 77% reported temporal lobe abnormalities). However, stating that 94% of all traumatic brain injuries affect the frontal lobes misrepresents what the statistic actually measures. The 94% figure refers to the proportion of cross-sectional SPECT studies in a systematic review that identified frontal lobe perfusion abnormalities among evaluated TBI patients, not a epidemiological population measure that 94% of all clinical TBI incidents involve frontal lobe injury.

0:33:31supportedvery lowtheir own paperProven Strategies to Prevent Disease - with Dr. Daniel Amen

Eighty percent of retired NFL players treated with Dr. Amen's intervention program demonstrated cognitive improvement.

"This is what we used on our NFL players, and 80% of our players—we published this—80% of our players show improvement when we put them on this program" (said at 0:33:31)

The speaker accurately cites the findings from their published open-label clinical trial in 30 retired NFL players. In the study, retired players underwent an average of 6 months on a multi-component intervention (lifestyle changes, fish oil, and brain-directed dietary supplements) and demonstrated significant improvements across multiple cognitive domains on the MicroCog assessment (corrected for practice effects) and increased cerebral perfusion on brain SPECT. Because the study was a small, open-label, uncontrolled before-and-after case series, the certainty of evidence for the intervention's causal efficacy is very low.

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