Blog Archives

Research Seems to be on the road to better understandingings

4/21/2024

Val's Take/Conjecture

These new understandings are not perfect --- but they are BETTER than what we've been using.
There is a lot to INTEGRATE -- and people are doing the work of that.
- Generational Issues
- Maternal Immune Activation
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- the Immune System
- the Microbiome
- the Endocrine System
- Epigenetics
- the Exposome
- the Inflammasome
- etc.
Mental Health has relied on some pretty sloppy analysis --- BUT they didn't really have anything else even if the logical problems were there --- for anyone brave enough to acknowledge them--
- that is changing
- More and more professionals know the status quo is not good enough.

[P]renatal activation of the maternal immune system has been connected with both increased risk of ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] and with mitochondrial dysfunction.

It has been demonstrated that the mitochondria have a noteworthy relationship with the immune system, as they can impact the immune response and vice versa.

Cell Death: All Roads Lead to Mitochondria (2022)

Mitochondria and Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric disorders

4/18/2024

Val's Take/Conjecture

These are some big, important new understandings.
Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders are NOT UNCOMMON in this society ---- maybe they have never been uncommon, but we had some ASSUMPTIONS that didn't pan out when it came to "intelligence," executive functioning, etc.
- For some of us, this has been brutally hard.
Further, our hierarchies still protect some people from ever having to face the music.
Metabolomic biomarkers and other biomarkers, I think will ultimately be freeing and medically helpful and give us quite a different perspective on our social structures.

The World of MaTernal Immune Activation & EpigeneticS

4/6/2024

Val's Take/Conjecture

there is a LARGE DEVELOPMENTAL COMPONENT to the Neuro-Developmental Psychiatric Continuum.
It is focusing not so much on specific genes (although they may be important) as Maternal Immune Activation during Fetal Development.

BUT THAT IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY.

Epigenetics is playing a BIG ROLE on HIGHLY REACTIVE CELLS.

Additionally, Auto-Immune Diseases, especially Thyroid Disorders, affect a lot of people with "mental Illness" and EPIGENETICS is being viewed as a critical component in the understanding of Auto-Immune Diseases,

The epigenetics of autoimmunity | Cellular & Molecular Immunology (2011)

Alterations in the post-translational modification of histones and DNA methylation are the two major epigenetic mechanisms that may potentially cause a breakdown of immune tolerance and the perpetuation of autoimmune diseases.

Epigenomic signatures reveal mechanistic clues and predictive markers for autism spectrum disorder (2023)

Epigenetics and ADHD: Reflections on Current Knowledge, Research Priorities and Translational Potential (2022)

Epigenetic processes that regulate gene expression, such as DNA methylation, have emerged as a promising molecular system in the search for both biomarkers and mechanisms to address this challenge.

In this Current Opinion, we discuss the relevance of epigenetics (specifically DNA methylation) for ADHD research and clinical practice, starting with the current state of knowledge, what challenges we have yet to overcome, and what the future may hold in terms of methylation-based applications for personalized medicine in ADHD.

Additionally, people with "Autism" seem to be more at risk for Cancer, and cancer is more and more understood to have epigenetic components.

Epigenetics and Cancer - Introduction to Epigenetics (2021)
Alterations in chromatin function and epigenetic mechanisms are a hallmark of cancer. The disruption of epigenetic processes has been linked to altered gene expression and to cancer initiation and progression. Recent cancer genome sequencing projects revealed that numerous epigenetic regulators are frequently mutated in various cancers.

the new paradigm is getting stronger all the time

4/6/2024

Val's Take/Conjecture

The Normal Science of the DSM 5 is not worthless BUT it is not adequate to the task of our current mental health crisis and there are serious errors.
It became more and more apparent there was a lot we were missing:
- Maternal Immune Activation
- the Neuro-Developmental Psychiatric Continuum
- Dysregulation of Multiple Systems of the Body, and
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

From my perspective the EVIDENCE has been there well over a decade that Mental Health Clinical was on shaky ground.

our source the National Institute of Mental Health

On the other hand, there were no Interim Procedures and apart from someone like myself crying in the Colorado Wilderness, most professionals on all sides seem to be fine putting this Burden of Ignorance on very ill individuals.

That is UNETHICAL.

Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (2023)

MIA [Maternal Immune Activation] is one of the common environmental risk factors for the onset of ASD during pregnancy. It induces an immune reaction in the pregnant mother’s body, resulting in further inflammation and oxidative stress in the placenta and fetal brain.

Psychopathology of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: from an inflammatory perspective. (2022)

A growing body of evidence shows that maternal inflammatory status during pregnancy is associated with diagnosis of ADHD in the offspring, whereas oxidative stress, inflammatory biochemical markers and immune-mediated diseases have been observed in individuals with ADHD

Oxidative Stress and Psychiatric Disorders: Evidence from the Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study (2022)

Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress—A Causative Factor and Therapeutic Target in Many Diseases (2021)
The main source of free radicals responsible for oxidative stress is mitochondrial respiration. The deleterious effects of ROS [Reactive Oxygen Species] on cellular biomolecules, including DNA, is a well-known phenomenon that can disrupt mitochondrial function and contribute to cellular damage and death, and the subsequent development of various disease processes.

maternal Immune Activation and Mitochondria

4/5/2024

Maternal Inflammation During Pregnancy and Offspring Brain Development: The Role of Mitochondria (2022)

In summary, we argue that mitochondrial function is a promising mechanism through which MIA/inflammation during pregnancy can affect the risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.

Elucidating the role of mitochondria as a mediator of MIA-induced alterations in brain development and neurodevelopmental disease risk may not only provide new insight into the pathophysiology of mental health disorders but may also offer new therapeutic targets

Translational Medicine Friday

We're riffing off NPR's Science Friday to create Translational Medicine Friday.

We'll be collecting Research Article recommendations for Clinicians with regard to Cognitive Disability.

There is much in the RESEARCH JOURNALS and we'll just be SKIMMING THE SURFACE.

The POINT is to INCREASE FUNDING for TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH at the Federal Level for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Nation's Research & Teaching Hospitals and possible collaborations with Medicare and Medicaid providers.

Translational Medicine Friday

Research Seems to be on the road to better understandingings

Mitochondria and Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric disorders

The World of MaTernal Immune Activation & EpigeneticS

the new paradigm is getting stronger all the time

maternal Immune Activation and Mitochondria

Translational Medicine Friday

Archives

Categories