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Lighting Up the Brain: What Clinicians Should Know About Neuroscience, Photobiomodulation and Mental Health

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Information

Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Differentiate between structural and functional brain imaging modalities and describe the clinical advantages of SPECT in evaluating complex neuropsychiatric conditions such as TBI and PTSD.

  • Identify characteristic patterns of cerebral blood flow associated with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and related cognitive or emotional symptoms.

  • Evaluate the potential clinical applications of pulsed transcranial red and near-infrared light therapy, including its proposed mechanisms of action and current evidence for improving cerebral perfusion and cognitive outcomes.

Educational Goal

Functional brain imaging can reveal underlying patterns of brain dysfunction in conditions such as TBI and PTSD that are often missed by traditional structural scans, enabling more precise diagnosis and individualized treatment planning. Emerging therapies, including transcranial red and near-infrared light therapy, show promise for improving cerebral blood flow and cognitive function as part of a comprehensive brain-health approach.

Description

This workshop provides an overview of advanced brain-focused approaches to evaluating and treating complex neuropsychiatric conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cognitive dysfunction. Participants will learn how functional neuroimaging, particularly SPECT, can reveal patterns of brain activity and blood flow not visible on traditional scans, supporting more precise diagnosis and treatment planning. The session will also introduce emerging neuromodulation strategies, including pulsed transcranial red and near-infrared light therapy, and review current evidence for their effects on cerebral perfusion and cognitive outcomes. Emphasis is placed on practical clinical application and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient care.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

S. Gregory Hipskind, MD, PhD
S Gregory Hipskind MD PhD is a nationally recognized Nuclear and Behavioral Neurologist who specializes in the brain SPECT evaluation of traumatic and toxic brain injuries as well as their treatment with photobiomodulation therapy, or PBMT. He received residency training in both neurology and family medicine at the University of California, San Diego and University of Colorado Health Science Center, respectively, and was a research associate at Western Washington University while engaged in full-time clinical practice. He has published many peer-reviewed scientific articles in the area neurobehavioral medicine including the evaluation and treatment of ADHD, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and carbon monoxide poisoning. His recent publication on the use of transcranial LED light therapy (photobiomodulation therapy or PBMT) to improve cognition and brain SPECT findings in Veterans with chronic TBI has been designated as a high social impact article by several international research organizations. He became qualified in Nuclear Neurology in 2002 and has subsequently interpreted over 5,000 brain SPECT images. He is also a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (2010) as well as a Certified Polychromatic Light Technologies Instructor (2018).

Dr. Hipskind has been an invited speaker to numerous professional gatherings at the state and local level as well as several international professional societies. He was a featured speaker in 2015 on Capitol Hill on National TBI Day and was invited to present his recent landmark scientific research at the annual meeting of the World Association of Light and Laser Therapists in 2021 regarding the use of brain SPECT and PBMT to reverse the effects of TBI. He has been invited on multiple occasions to speak at the Grand Rounds of the University of Colorado Health Science Center regarding the role of Technology and Medicine in Society. He has appeared on numerous national TV programs, including Dr. Phil as well as helped to create the national documentary “The Truth About Drugs” with Leeza Gibbons regarding the effects of drugs on brain health which is being used in educational health programs in public and private schools across the country today. Dr. Hipskind has successfully advocated for the brain-injured patient in over 150 civil proceedings by successfully defending the validity of the science underlying functional brain SPECT imaging. He has served as President of his local, Whatcom County Medical Society, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Washington State Medical Association, Chief Medical Officer and consulting physician to both Brain Matters, Inc and CereScan Corp., brain SPECT imaging facilities, and Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board and Director of Research for the InLight Medical Company. He currently serves as the Founder and President of Brain Injury Consulting, LLC.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Amen Clinics