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Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. I am not sure whether the last paragraph came from you or was it an excerpt from a source you found on cerebral atrophy.

It would also be useful to know what other tests did you have, SPECT scanning is not a starting test, usually an MRI is the first choice test. It's not only a question of pricing and limited availability, I don't think it is the most suitable initial test either. So if you had an MRI before please tell us something on its results.
Also that report sounds a little too concise, please tell if there is more information on that report (perhaps could scan/photograph it and upload here)

Now regarding cerebral atrophy. Atrophy basically means shrinking due to loss of brain mass. You should know that some brain mass is lost for each and every one of us, starting from around the age at 25. It is a slow process and isn't detectable on imaging at a younger age, but as it accumulates it starts to become visible with the amounting of the years. So the fact it wasn't visible over your old imaging exams isn't a XXXXXXX

So as you see simply saying to have atrophy is not specific as it can be found with normal aging. On the other hand it can be as an aftermath of pathological conditions such as past stroke, trauma, infection etc. However in most of these cases the atrophy would be asymmetrical, localized in the area damaged by stroke or trauma.
In your case the findings are described as symmetrical which don't correspond to the above-mentioned conditions. So that leaves to be considered the possibility of dementia which is also what your memory issues might suggest and which commonly manifests early cortical atrophy as per the report.
So what is suggested by that report is the possibility of cognitive impairment which could evolve in dementia in the future, there are many types of dementia with Alzheimer's being the most common one.
However atrophy on imaging isn't a sentence, it doesn't make the diagnosis even if the atrophy is considered early for your age. The brain volume doesn't always strictly correspond with cognitive impairment and it is considered significant only when there are cognitive impairment issues, so you need neuropsychological tests to assess memory as well as other cognitive functions. Only the scores of those tests indicate dementia, not imaging.
If the tests confirm cognitive impairment some more tests will be needed for alternative causes of dementia such as vitamin B12 deficiency or thyroid disorders (perhaps you might already have had these tests, please tell if that is the case).
As for differentiating whether it is a case of Alzheimer or another type of dementia imaging could help, but in your report very scant data are included, that is why I asked on more detailed reports earlier. What I look for in an imaging report to evaluate for dementia is which lobes and structures (like hyppocampus) have more pronounced atrophy on MRI. Meanwhile on functional MRI like SPECT or PetScan I would look for perfusion and metabolism changes in those areas. For Alzheimer's on PetScan could be searched for amyloid depositions.

So all these useful data are lacking on that report, it speaks simply of brain shrinking to detect which a simple CT scan would have been enough.

So bottom line for now, all that can be said is that neuropsychological tests are needed to differentiate atrophy related to aging from early dementia. If tests indicate dementia more tests are needed to determine the source.

I remain at your disposal for further questions, possibly with more info on other tests you may have had (as I doubt you were rushed straight into SPECT scanning).

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Brief Answer:
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Detailed Answer:
Ah, I see so I guess it was general information included in the report. I imagine that you don't have an electronic version of the report, I was thinking you could perhaps just snap a shot with your smartphone or scan it and upload if it's technically possible for you. That's what other users often do and me myself when I want to have a copy of a paper I want to review later I just photograph it with my smartphone. If you can't it's not a big deal do not want you to go to much trouble over it.

The fact that most of your tests resulted with good scores is great news, dementia by definition is diagnosed when it affects other cognitive functions (language, judgment, executive functions etc) not just memory. Actually working memory tests can be influenced by factors such as depression and anxiety which affect attention, so since you report them as well it could be the explanation for the below average performance. So in the light of those tests it could well be for brain atrophy to be in the setting of aging.

I believe a neurological consult should be scheduled anyway for a physical neurological evaluation for other neurological signs other then cognition (like parkinson's signs, neurological deficits related to vit B12 deficiency, signs of thyroid dysfunction etc) and a final correlation of the imaging and neuropsychological and lab test results. A neurologist is the most appropriate specialist for that.
At times a final conclusion can not be drawn at this moment in time, but it can be used as a starting point and a re-evaluation might be scheduled in say 6-12 months time to compare neuropsychological and imaging tests changes. If depression and anxiety are thought to play a role during this follow-up time treatment for them might be taken in order to see the difference on re-evaluation.

I hope to have been of help.

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Brief Answer:
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Detailed Answer:
Thank you for that detailed report. I read it carefully.

My opinion remains pretty much unchanged. You have some cerebral atrophy, more marked in the frontal and temporal lobes, which calls attention for the evaluation for dementia but if the neuropsychological tests are normal not too much must be read into it as it might be only a normal variation related to aging and for the moment only follow-up is necessary in that regard. Of course depression and anxiety must be treated accordingly.

On a side note if you remember I wondered in my first answer how come it was started with SPECT which is not the first tool which comes to mind, is available only at selected centers and its interpretation and applications are still being researched. Now after you asked if you should see a neurologist I searched for XXXXXXX Amen's name to see his specialty and I realized that while not that known this part of the world he is a sort of celebrity in the US.
While I am sure he's a clinically able psychiatrist from what I read it is not only me who was left puzzled by SPECT diagnosing, but there are many renowned names in psychiatry who accuse him about his overuse of SPECT to make a diagnosis. Perhaps you might be aware of this debate but I'm including a link just in case.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/daniel-amen-is-the-most-popular-psychiatrist-in-america-to-most-researchers-and-scientists-thats-a-very-bad-thing/2012/08/07/467ed52c-c540-11e1-8c16-5080b717c13e_story.html

I repeat that he's a distinguished psychiatrist, more than capable of treating conditions like depression, anxiety, dementia so you certainly can continue to be followed by him. I wanted only to warn you from putting too much emphasis on SPECT results because it's not only me but also far more renowned figures in neurosciences who still believe clinical diagnosis is much more important than imaging.

I hope to have been of help.

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Brief Answer:
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Detailed Answer:
Thank you for sending those reports and no worry you can ask as many questions as you need to.
The reports confirm what you already told me, that other than working memory other areas are not affected. I can understand the psychiatrist not wanting to define as atrophy because in my opinion the best exam to determine brain mass is simple MRI, not SPECT, it gives other complementary useful information, but for the atrophy itself MRI is better I think.

I was kind of expecting you to think about fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), clinically doesn't look likely though as memory impairment which is about the only thing detected in tests is not among the earliest signs of it, memory as initial manifestation is more typical for Alzheimer's. In FTD according to its subtype more prominent are behavior changes with involvement of inhibition, executive functions or language. So for now it doesn't look very likely, time will tell.

One thing I forgot to mention is that activation pattern changes can be related also to your depression and anxiety. Also bulimia which you mention to have suffered from has been found to be related to cerebral atrophy (not as strong a relation as anorexia, but it can be a contributing factor added to the aging).

So I have to repeat again that for now while you should receive treatment for depression and anxiety, there is not much proof towards dementia really. Future follow ups are recommended, but not as something to look forward to with apprehension. It certainly can wait for some months until you get settled in your new job, perhaps even better to be tested later rather than sooner, once depression and anxiety have improved as they can affect test results.

Best of luck with your new job.

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