Posts Tagged ‘serotonin’

Inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration in major depression

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Is depression mainly a disorder of serotonin regulation? A paper just published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry reminds us that, of course, it is not. The authors state:

“For many years, a deficiency of monoamines including serotonin has been the prevailing hypothesis on depression, yet research has failed to confirm consistent relations between brain serotonin and depression.“

They observe that there is a relationship between depression a number of other conditions with a common set of underlying causes:

“…depression is one of a family of related conditions sometimes referred to as the “affective spectrum disorders”, and variably including migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and generalized anxiety disorder, among many others.”

What do these disorders have in common?

“…we present data from many different experimental modalities that strongly suggest components of mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation in the pathogenesis of depression and other affective spectrum disorders. The three concepts of monoamines, energy metabolism and inflammatory pathways are inter-related in many complex manners. For example, the major categories of drugs used to treat depression have been demonstrated to exert effects on mitochondria and inflammation, as well as on monoamines. Furthermore, commonly-used mitochondrial-targeted treatments exert effects on mitochondria and inflammation, and are increasingly being shown to demonstrate efficacy in the affective spectrum disorders.”

In the functional approach, the evaluation and treatment of depression is not complete without addressing the factors that contribute to neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and mitochondrial dysfunction with the appropriate tests and physiological interventions.

Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Brain Health, Depression | No Comments »

Gluten-free diet can improve depression and behavioral problems in adolescents

Friday, May 28th, 2010

BMC PsychiatryAs the authors of this study published in the journal BMC Psychiatry observe:

“Coeliac disease in adolescents has been associated with an increased prevalence of depressive and disruptive behavioural disorders, particularly in the phase before diet treatment.”

We are equally concerned with the ‘non-celiac’ aspects of gluten sensitivity. Gluten related inflammation in the brain can manifest as a host of cognitive, emotional and neurodegenerative disorders in the absence of intestinal manifestations. This is often referred to as “silent celiac disease”:

“Coeliac disease is an under-diagnosed autoimmune type of gastrointestinal disorder resulting from gluten ingestion in genetically susceptible individuals. Non-specific symptoms such as fatigue and dyspepsia are common, but the disease may also be clinically silent.”

They further note that:

“”Depressive symptoms and disorders are common among adult patients with coeliac disease, and depressive and disruptive behavioural disorders are highly common also among adolescents, particularly in the phase before diet treatment. Recently 73% of patients with untreated coeliac disease – but only 7% of patients adhering to a gluten-free diet – were reported to have cerebral blood flow abnormalities similar to those among patients with depressive disorders.”

Their data revealed abnormalities in tryptophan assimilation (tryptophan is the amino acid precursor to serotonin) and prolactin levels in adolescents with celiac disease and depression prior to treatment. Consequently…

“A significant decrease in psychiatric symptoms was found at 3 months on a gluten-free diet compared to patients’ baseline condition, coinciding with significantly decreased coeliac disease activity…”

They also make a fascinating observation that links gluten sensitivity, inflammation, and the serotonergic aspect of depression unrelated to malabsorption:

“…increased production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), known to be the predominant cytokine produced by gluten-specific T-cells in active coeliac disease, can suppress serotonin function both directly and indirectly by enhancing tryptophan and serotonin turnover…even without malabsorption.”

To diagnose gluten sensitivity in the absence of celiac disease the gluten gene sensitivity test is the most reliable method for a number of reasons.

Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Autoimmune, Brain Health, Children's Health, Depression, Gluten & Casein | No Comments »

Fibromyalgia, iron and neurotransmitters

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

European Journal of Clinical NutritionMost readers are aware that low iron reduces oxygen delivery to tissues, and this degrades the ability of every cell to produce energy for function. Naturally this can contribute to chronic pain of various kinds. This valuable paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition about fibromyalgia brings up another important point: low neurotransitters (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin) are a contributing cause of the pain and dysfunction of fibromyalgia, and adequate iron is necessary for their production. The authors begin by observing:

“Iron is essential for a number of enzymes involved in neurotransmitter synthesis. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has shown a reduction in the concentration of biogenic amine metabolites, including dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the association of ferritin with FMS.”

To investigate this association serum ferritin, vitamin B12 and folic acid were measured in 46 patients with primary FMS and 46 healthy controls. Their data paints a very interesting picture:

“Binary multiple logistic regression analysis…showed that having a serum ferritin level <50 ng/ml caused a 6.5-fold increased risk for FMS.”

Here’s what the authors concluded from their findings:

“Our study implicates a possible association between FM and decreased ferritin level, even for ferritin in normal [see note below] ranges. We suggest that iron as a cofactor in serotonin and dopamine production may have a role in the etiology of FMS.”

Important: there is earlier research that validates 50 ng/ml as the correct low point for serum ferritin, but many labs have not caught up and still have a report with a reference range for ferritin that is too low. This is a key point in clinical practice.

Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Autoimmune, Brain Health, General Science & Health | 2 Comments »

Fibromyalgia, iron and neurotransmitters

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 0310You might think that functionally low iron would contribute to the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia through its effect on the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, which would not be incorrect. But as this study just published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals, there is another very important effect of suboptimal iron levels.

“Iron is essential for a number of enzymes involved in neurotransmitter synthesis. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has shown a reduction in the concentration of biogenic amine metabolites, including dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the association of ferritin with FMS.”

Ferritin, a protein that stores iron, is the most accurate single quantifier for iron stores in the body. Adequate iron is mandatory for the production of neurotransmitters including dopamine and serotonin (one of the reasons why depression occur around the time of menses). What did their data show?

“…having a serum ferritin level <50 ng/ml caused a 6.5-fold increased risk for FMS.”

Doctors (and everyone), notice the serum ferritin level. Many practitioners are not aware of other research showing that the common laboratory reference ranges for ferritin are too low and that 50 ng/ml should be the cut-off point. Additionally, there are a number of mechanisms by which suboptimal dopamine and/or serotonin production can affect the experience of pain and fatigue with FMS.

The authors’ conclusion is consonant with the existing evidence:

“Our study implicates a possible association between FM and decreased ferritin level, even for ferritin in “normal” ranges [quotation marks added]. We suggest that iron as a cofactor in serotonin and dopamine production may have a role in the etiology of FMS.”

If there is a question about iron, have your serum ferritin checked (at least) and make sure that it is not lower than 50 ng/ml.

Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Autoimmune, Brain Health, General Science & Health | No Comments »

Insomnia, melatonin and serotonin

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

If you’re wondering whether you should take the hormone melatonin for a sleep disorder, bear in mind that melatonin is synthesized from the neurotransmitter serotonin (as described in this paper published in the journal Cell & Tissue Research). The functional approach avoids taking melatonin (except temporarily for extensive time zone travel) because of the possibility of suppressing native hormone pathways. This is only one of a number of factors that can cause or contribute to insomnia, but the possible need for physiological support with precursors and co-factors to normalize serotonin production and conversion to melatonin shouldn’t be overlooked since they can be depleted by stress.

Bookmark and Share

Tags: , ,
Posted in Brain Health, General Science & Health | No Comments »

Progesterone Is Still Crucial After Menopause

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Disturbingly, there are still doctors who misinform their patients by telling them that progesterone is not necessary after menopause. Progesterone is crucial for numerous functions throughout the body (for men too). The brain is rich in progesterone receptors, and it plays an important role in immune system regulation and nervous system health. Here are a few citations from the sciencific literature. There are many more:

Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Brain Health, Women's Health | 1 Comment »