Ignacio Benavente, a patient at the Hepzibah Family Medicine Clinic in Tamuning, undergoes a Nufaze brain-mapping session on Wednesday. A new diagnostic tool recently introduced on Guam could help address mental health challenges in the island’s veteran community by offering detailed brain mapping capabilities to diagnose conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to dementia. However, the technology is currently available only to Medicare recipients, highlighting ongoing health care access issues for veterans on the island.
The brain mapping system, introduced through the U.S.-based company Nufaze Health Solutions, has been available at the Hepzibah Family Medicine Clinic for the past three weeks. The noninvasive technology uses electrodes attached to a cap to measure brain activity while patients undergo cognitive challenges.
The Guam Daily Post spoke with Dr. Ugochukwu Akoma, who runs the Hepzibah Family Medicine Clinic.
"It’s like an (electroencephalogram) with all the functions of an EEG, but it looks at different parts of your brain while you do some challenges," Akoma said. "With the eyes closed, eyes open, you look at some images, you interpret them, you share your thoughts. So, it’s able to actually see how your brain is responding to the images you’re looking at and how you’re answering the questions."
The technology can help diagnose depression, PTSD and various degrees of dementia, according to Akoma. About 30 veterans have undergone the brain mapping procedure so far as part of an initial trial at the clinic, where approximately 60% of the patients are veterans, he said.
The initiative is being conducted in collaboration with HMI, a nonprofit organization focused on veterans’ services. Corina Ballesta, HMI vice president, emphasized the technology’s potential impact on the veteran community, particularly for those dealing with mental health challenges.
"I think the most important thing, and why it’s attractive to veterans, is because of the anxiety, depression and PTSD that a lot of veterans deal with," Ballesta said.
The introduction of this diagnostic tool comes at a critical time, as many veterans are leaving Guam due to limited health care options, Ballesta said, adding that veterans face particular challenges accessing specialized care on the island.
"A lot of veterans don’t […]
Brain mapping tech offers veterans hope amid health care challenges
