Kim Kardashian’s brain scan on a recent episode of The Kardashians quickly turned into the internet’s latest debate.
After a specialist pointed out “low activity” in her frontal lobe, a finding he clarified wasn’t linked to Alzheimer’s or major mental health issues, Kim still seemed rattled. She reacted quickly, saying, “That just can’t be […] I got to get on a plan to really figure this out because I have sh*t to do this summer.”
What Kim was told by the doctor
Dr. Daniel Amen, who had scanned several Kardashian family members in past seasons, walked her through the results. He told her she did not show signs connected to Alzheimer’s disease and said she appeared “not terribly stressed, not anxious and not depressed.”
However, he pointed to “holes” on the scan that he described as markers of “low activity.” He added, “The front part of your brain is less active than it should be,” and explained that this could make stress management harder while she prepared for the California bar exam.
Kardashian had already mentioned on an earlier episode that a Prenuvo scan found an aneurysm that had been in her brain for years. She recalled asking specialists what could cause a rupture, and doctors reportedly said, “Just stress.” She connected the issue to both her bar exam workload and the lingering strain of her 2022 divorce.
Online reactions to Kim’s news
Once the episode aired, many viewers commented on social media, and their posts shaped a broad range of theories. Some people floated ideas about media strategy.
For example, @EmeryEXP posted claims that the storyline might set the stage for a future tech tie-in, writing that it could lead to her getting a NeuroLink and then passing the bar “to ‘prove’ it works.”
@eitherwayitgoes had the same theory, writing, “Wait till everyone realizes this is just a soft launch for her to launch a partnership with Neuralink (or another AI brain chip company like that).”
Meanwhile, @thejrney echoed that claim and said, “This sh*t writes itself.”
“Is she laying the groundwork for a neuralink deal,” wrote @tyleroakley.
Others pushed back on the science behind her scan. @curryinahurry22 wrote, “Neuroscientist here. You literally cannot have ‘low brain activity’ in your frontal lobe without being lobotomized.” They argued that the interpretation sounded inaccurate. Then @spookistan weighed in on private clinics that offer “poorly-interpetable scans,” and @curryinahurry22 replied that such places “take advantage of the people with loads of money who will go to any ends of the earth to ‘optimize’ their health.”
Others added their own humor as well. @437II joked, “Imagine paying a doctor to tell you that you’re lowkey kinda dumb.” Others questioned why she shared the moment at all, with @fyeahceko asking, “why did she expose herself for being slow 😭”
Still, some commenters urged caution. @_hateade pointed to information on low frontal lobe activity and wrote, “not to defend her but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s stupid.”
Likewise, @YaoiYarnYearner reminded people that ableist insults were unnecessary. They said, “What was found in her scan has nothing to do with intelligence. It’s something that can happen to every person under stress and is often reversible.”
Additionally, some people online blamed long-term health stressors or potentially the effects of COVID instead. As @steves_beebs suggested, it could be “the expected brain damage from multiple covid infections (or Lyme disease).”
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