[Anjae]

This is an interesting and, probably, controversial idea. And, for now, only tested in mices and monkeys. But regardeless of how we see it this matter, it is fascinating the many ways people are looking to illnesses or situations that affect the brain.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/26/will-heroin-vaccine-cure-west-drug-epidemic-chemical-answer-to-social-problem

As the article says, addiction is a very complicated issues, and one single way of trying to stop it may not work. But I think is makes for a fascinating reading.

[Velika]

Depression's Link to Inflammation Gains Strength
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/10/09/depression-inflammation.aspx?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=facebookmercola_ranart-ths&utm_campaign=20170827_depression-inflammation

“Elevated biomarkers of inflammation, including inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins, have been found in depressed patients, and administration of inflammatory stimuli has been associated with the development of depressive symptoms.

Data also have demonstrated that inflammatory cytokines can interact with multiple pathways known to be involved in the development of depression, including monoamine metabolism, neuroendocrine function, synaptic plasticity, and neurocircuits relevant to mood regulation …

Psychosocial stress, diet, obesity, a leaky gut and an imbalance between regulatory and pro-inflammatory T cells also contribute to inflammation and may serve as a focus for preventative strategies relevant to both the development of depression and its recurrence.”

[MyBrainIsBroken]

Here is another disorder with a description similar to what we see on this forum.

Depersonalization Disorder:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/04/depersonalisation-disorder-the-condition-youve-never-heard-of-that-affects-millions

I think you're getting closer. You might also be interested in the following article. Derealization often goes hand-in-hand with depersonalization.

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/derealization

This is an interesting and, probably, controversial idea. And, for now, only tested in mices and monkeys. But regardeless of how we see it this matter, it is fascinating the many ways people are looking to illnesses or situations that affect the brain.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/26/will-heroin-vaccine-cure-west-drug-epidemic-chemical-answer-to-social-problem

As the article says, addiction is a very complicated issues, and one single way of trying to stop it may not work. But I think is makes for a fascinating reading.

I think this may solve the heroin epidemic but users will just turn to cocaine or meth or alcohol. They're focusing on the wrong thing. The heroin use is not the problem. The problem is that the addict needs the heroin. Take heroin away and they'll find something else. Take alcohol away from an alcoholic and you still have an alcoholic.

[Velika]

Wow. Derealization does sound a lot like this. Interesting too that it can be a symptom of disease of the temporal lobe or schizophrenia.

[Velika]

I know many of us have considered that our spouse may have bipolar disorder or that MLC is a condition similar to bipolar. I know there has been more research into bipolar to understand it as a systemic illness.

An observation many of us have had is that our spouses appear to age very rapidly after bomb drop. There were times in the months that followed that my FH had an almost “ancient” look. He still retains a distinctive “before” and “after” look of MLC that I know is in part due to stylistic choices but also seems to reflect in his face shape if that is possible, complexion, as well as eyes and body fat distribution.

I found some interesting articles about bipolar and aging that would appear to lend support to the idea that what we observe may be linked. There is actually significant research in this area, including theories that bipolar is a disease of accelerated aging.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-017-0048-8

[Ready2Transform]

Thank you for this, V!

[Velika]

Are Some Psychiatric Disorders a pH Problem?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-some-psychiatric-disorders-a-ph-problem/

"Even as it becomes clearer that brain acidity may be a key characteristic of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, whether this could be a cause or effect remains an open question. According to Miyakawa, one possibility is that the increased acidity results from higher than normal neuronal activity in the brains of people with these disorders. Another popular theory is that the greater acidity could be the result of impairments in mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, Regenold says. These two hypotheses may not be mutually exclusive.

The next big question will be whether low pH in the brain can lead to the cognitive or behavioral changes associated with these disorders, Miyakawa says. There are suggestions that this is the case. “We know that receptors [that are activated by acid] have prominent effects on behavior in animals,” Wemmie says. “That implies that there may be changes in brain pH in the awake and functioning brain that people haven't appreciated all that well.”

[Velika]

Found this really interesting in light of what we are dealing with. Worth reading the entire article but this quote really stood out to me:

The team speculates humans’ elevated striatal dopamine levels in particular would have led to more advanced social behaviors and perhaps monogamy, both of which may have improved our offspring’s survival and benefitted our ancestors. They also feel that by enhancing social behaviors, a “dopamine-dominated striatum” personality type, as they call it, would have led to selection for increased brain size and also language.

I had recently reflected that my ex seems like a different species almost. Reading this article — and especially knowing that he had been taking an SSRI prior to the MLC — definitely validates that this could be chemical.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cocktail-of-brain-chemicals-may-be-a-key-to-what-makes-us-human/

[Velika]

Interesting article in Scientific American about link between criminality and brain lesions.

How Responsible are Killers with Brain Damage?

Interestingly, the ‘criminality-associated network’ identified by the researchers is closely related to networks previously linked with moral decision making. The network is most closely associated with two specific components of moral psychology: theory of mind and value-based decision making. Theory of mind refers to the capacity to understand other people’s points of view, beliefs, and emotions. This helps you appreciate, for instance, how your actions would make another person scared or hurt. Value-based decision making refers to the ability to judge the value of specific actions or their consequences. This helps you see not only what the outcomes of your actions will be, but whether those actions and outcomes are good or bad.

The fact that violence can be a symptom of brain disease shows not that free will is an illusion, but that free will can be injured just like other human abilities. These rare cases of dysfunction allow us to see more clearly that our healthy brains endow us with remarkable capacities to imagine, reason, and act freely.

[Velika]

A Feverish Debate
Are common bacterial infections making children mentally ill?
https://thewalrus.ca/a-feverish-debate/

"According to those who believe it exists, pandas can suddenly turn healthy children into basket cases. The hallmarks are rapid onset, and extreme emotional instability marked by screaming rages or uncontrollable sobs. “Some families have told us that their children seem possessed,” says Susan Swedo, an American physician who was part of the team that first described and named the condition."

"To lay people, it may sound outrageous: a common childhood infection can lead to an immune reaction that attacks the brain. But Swedo’s theory was not new. Her hypothesis was similar to the explanation for rheumatic fever. She thought then, and still thinks now, that pandas might be a variant of that disease."

"According to Swedo’s original paper, pandas has five key features: it affects kids; they display obsessions, compulsions, or tics; they present other neuropsychiatric oddities; their symptoms either start abruptly or have sharp worsenings; and a clear association has been established between those worsenings and infection with strep."