Blog Archives

Autism, Disorder or Different --- Dr. Chris Palmer

4/20/2025

Val's Take: Dr. Chris Palmer has been a major leader in re-conceptualizing Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders as "Brain Energy" issues.

Dr. Chris Palmer is a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist, researcher, educator, and author of Brain Energy.

Once again Dr. Palmer is taking on the Tough Issues, bringing Clarity and Respect.

Importantly, Dr. Palmer understands these issues as "DEVELOPMENTAL" often beginning IN UTERO and some traits becoming "FIXED" by Adulthood ---

[Further, a lot of people with "Autism" or some form of Neuro-Developmental/Psychiatric Disorder have "Hyper-Plastic Brains" so the idea that Neuro-Plasticity is going to solve everything is a lot more complicated than even professionals can think --- many Neuro-Diverse people are "MAXXED OUT" --- so we need to either Expand the Capacity or Work Within Our Limits]

The Criminal Justice System has become the Disability Provider of Last Resort really as a Default because we haven't had the Systems to deal with the RANGE of DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES with which people are contending.

We do understand now that we need a CONTINUUM OF CARE and we need to marry that with more up to date understandings of Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

P.S. "Person-First Language" would be "a person with autism."

Executive Functioning Challenges as an Energy --- ATP Issue

4/18/2025

Val's Take/Conjecture

We are starting to hone in on Developmental Mitochondrial Dysfunction as a result of Maternal Immune Activation.
These Energy issues are CRITICAL. Societies, Professionals and Families are often perplexed by the IDIOSYNCRATIC ENERGY ISSUES of the person with a neuro-developmental and or psychiatric disorder.
The failure to Treat and/or Accommodate those Energy Issues generally makes the person worse.

Brain levels of high-energy phosphate metabolites and executive function in geriatric depression (2016)

Conclusions: These findings suggest two independent sources of executive function dependence on bioenergetic state in the aging brain.

The dependence of executive function performance in subjects with late life depression on ATP in white matter may be associated with mitochondrial impairment and is consistent with predictions of the vascular depression hypothesis.

Further research with wider neuropsychological testing targeting bioenergetic markers could help clarify the scope of these effects.

Prenatal immune activation in mice induces long-term alterations in brain mitochondrial function (2024)

Dr. Chris Palmer advocates a Metabolic Theory of Brain Disorder.

He and the Metabolic Mind folks advocate for a Keto Diet.

Impaired mitochondrial function in bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorder: a case study using 18F-BCPP-EF PET imaging of mitochondrial Complex I (2024)

Conclusions: Despite mounting evidence implicating mitochondria in BD [Bipolar Disorder], this study represents the first PET imaging study to investigate this mechanistic connection.

There were key limitations in the form of comorbid alcohol use disorder, limited statistical power inherent to a case study, no sex matched controls, and the absence of a comprehensive psychiatric history.

However, even with these limitations in mind, the significant overlap between dysfunction previously demonstrated on functional MRI and this imaging provides compelling preliminary evidence that strengthens the mechanistic link between mitochondrial dysfunction and BD [Bipolar Disorder].

Florence & the Machine
Free

Florence Welch is a person with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia and she's been open about substance issues.

I love this video. Her Anxiety is being personified as an Old Man.

The video begins with Her Anxiety handing her a cup of coffee/caffeine for some Energy.

[As an aside, comedian and mental health advocate Maria Bamford, often says, "I need another frickin' Diet Coke" --- something I can very much relate to.

Further, some ADHD advocates do talk about using Caffeine medicinally.

There's even a sweatshirt on Etsy saying "I need a Diet Coke."]

When Florence is Dancing --- she has plenty of Energy, but most of the time she is running to catch-up.

She's presenting a complicated, confusing picture --- a picture that many people with Neurodevelopmental & Psychiatric Disorders present.

Extracellular ATP Is a Homeostatic Messenger That Mediates Cell–Cell Communication in Physiological Processes and Psychiatric Diseases (2025)

Dysregulation of extracellular ATP leads to a destabilizing effect on the neural network, as found in the etiopathology of many psychiatric diseases, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder.

In this review, we summarize advances in the understanding of the mechanisms by which extracellular ATP serves as an intercellular signaling molecule to regulate neural activity, with a focus on how it maintains the homeostasis of neural networks.

In particular, we also focus on neural activity issues that result from dysregulation of extracellular ATP and propose that aberrant levels of extracellular ATP may play a role in the etiopathology of some psychiatric diseases, highlighting the potential therapeutic targets of ATP signaling in the treatment of these psychiatric diseases.

Finally, we suggest potential avenues to further elucidate the role of extracellular ATP in intercellular communication and psychiatric diseases.

The multifaceted role of mitochondria in autism spectrum disorder (2025)

Normal brain functioning relies on high aerobic energy production provided by mitochondria.

Failure to supply a sufficient amount of energy, seen in different brain disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may have a significant negative impact on brain development and support of different brain functions.

Mitochondrial dysfunction, manifested in the abnormal activities of the electron transport chain and impaired energy metabolism, greatly contributes to ASD.

The aberrant functioning of this organelle is of such high importance that ASD has been proposed as a mitochondrial disease.

Pre-Natal Inflammatory Exposure (PIE), Neuro-Diversity and Disease

4/11/2025

Val's Take/Conjecture

Even as we're identifying Mechanism Sub-Types in Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders ---
Those Mechanism Sub-Types are often relevant for other chronic diseases such as Autoimmune Disorders and Cancer.

Pre-Natal Inflammatory Exposure (PIE) is relevant for:

Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders
Auto-Immune Disorders, and
Cancer

Is PIE relevant for every single case --- maybe not. But it is relevant for many, many cases.

Additionally, there is a need to marry a concern for "Lifestyle Choices" with the long-term ramifications of "Pre-Natal Inflammatory Exposure."

Prenatal inflammation exposure accelerates lung cancer tumorigenesis in offspring mouse: possible links to IRE1α/XBP1-mediated M2-like polarization of TAMs and PD-L1 up-expression (2024)

PBS
The Brain with David Eagleman

A One-Word Label is Enough to Change Your Brain's Pre-Conscious Response to Someone in Pain

The fetal programming effect of maternal immune activation (MIA) on the offspring’s immune system (2024)

American Authors, Zac Barnett & "Deep Water"

4/11/2025

Val's Take: I have posted this video several times ---- it is very much what having a psychiatric disorder can feel like.

Zac Barnett, the lead singer for American Authors, is a Mental Health Advocate and he has talked about getting therapy ----- he's also talked about caring for his mother with Bipolar Disorder and the importance of that.

The reality of premature aging with a Neuro-Developmental and/or Psychiatric Disorder is that it is not just affecting the person with the disorder --- it is affecting the rest of the family and the person's ability to work in a traditional work environment.

One of the great verses in "Deep Water" is:

"I was going for the title
Got hit by a tidal wave,
Can't stay in the shallows
Please, tell me I won't wash away"

The experience of being a Neuro-Diverse person can be quite Surreal both with great gifts and devastating health challenges.

ADHD, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Depression & Schizophrenia As Multi-System Disorders

4/8/2025

Val's Take/Conjecture

This view of Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders as multi-system conditions is relatively new and has many ramifications.
In addition, Neuro-Degenerative Disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's Disease and Alzheimer's are now viewed as multi-system disorders.

What are the ramifications of Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders as Multi-System Disorders?

For Treatment
For Criminal Justice Involvement
and Homelessness

If we don't know, who bears the burden?

Burden of Proof

Schizophrenia, a disease of impaired dynamic metabolic flexibility: A new mechanistic framework (2024)

"Mounting evidence from a variety of transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomics and brain imaging studies points toward the possibility that schizophrenia is a systemic disorder and involves abnormal glucose and energy metabolism both in the periphery and in brain."

Pathway Network Analyses for Autism Reveal Multisystem Involvement, Major Overlaps with Other Diseases and Convergence upon MAPK and Calcium Signaling (2016)

Psychoneuroimmunology of Mood Disorders (2025)

Abstract

Recent research has shed light on the intricate relationship between mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), and inflammation.

This chapter explores the complex interplay involving immune and metabolic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of these disorders, emphasizing their association with autoimmunity/inflammatory conditions, chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, T cell overactivation, and immunosenescence.

This perspective underscores the notion that MDD [Major Depressive Disorder] and BD [Bipolar Disorder] are not solely brain disorders, highlighting their nature as multi-system conditions.

ADHD symptoms in neurometabolic diseases: Underlying mechanisms and clinical implications (2016)

NEURODiversity Wednesday

Autism, Disorder or Different --- Dr. Chris Palmer

Executive Functioning Challenges as an Energy --- ATP Issue

Pre-Natal Inflammatory Exposure (PIE), Neuro-Diversity and Disease

American Authors, Zac Barnett & "Deep Water"

ADHD, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Depression & Schizophrenia As Multi-System Disorders

Neuro-Diversity
Wednesday

(with variable spellings of Neurodiversity)

Archives

Categories

​ NEURODiversity Wednesday

Autism, Disorder or Different --- Dr. Chris Palmer

Executive Functioning Challenges as an Energy --- ATP Issue

Pre-Natal Inflammatory Exposure (PIE), Neuro-Diversity and Disease

American Authors, Zac Barnett & "Deep Water"

ADHD, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Depression & Schizophrenia As Multi-System Disorders

Neuro-DiversityWednesday(with variable spellings of Neurodiversity)

Archives

Categories

NEURODiversity Wednesday

Neuro-Diversity
Wednesday

(with variable spellings of Neurodiversity)