VIDEO VERSION
The biology of mental disorder is throughout the body, not just the brain
TEXT
One of the most recent and interesting lines of research on the biological aspects of mental disorders is the so-called “neuroprogression”, a line of work that maintains that it is a mistake to look for the biological aspects of mental disorders in the brain, with the classic approach localizationist who sought to find a damaged area of the brain in which a lesion was located that gave rise to depression or psychosis…..but in biological research on mental disorders one has to look for the whole body, that the Biological alteration is global, as we will develop below. In any case, it is important to point out from the outset that these biological aspects are only a part, an aspect of mental disorders, deeply related to social aspects and to the structuring of information of psychological processes, as I have pointed out in other articles. on this very blog. But that biological part is undoubtedly exciting to investigate and learn about.
Traditionally, the brain had been seen as an organ that functioned isolated from the organism, protected by the blood-brain barrier, a layer of cells that selects the passage of substances to the brain. But there are many data that currently show us that, for example, in relation to inflammatory mechanisms, there is high permeability and communication.
The approach is that in mental disorder alterations occur throughout the body, at many levels, simultaneously. And that these alterations are an attempt by the organism to adapt to a context of tension. And also that these alterations are common to those that appear in medical diseases (heart attacks, diabetes, autoimmune diseases…) that is, there are numerous empirical data that show us that all physical and mental disorders are deeply related at the biological level
The question would be to know why in some people the drift towards pathology, when it is not possible to integrate the stressful or grieving situation, goes towards the side of the medical illness (heart attack, infection…) and in others it goes towards the mental disorder. And in many cases towards both ways at the same time.
In the neuroprogression approach, it is considered that stress, the tension that the person experiences, is the factor that gives rise to all these biological alterations and that continuously interacts with the development of mental disorders. A very interesting idea of this approach is that it establishes a continuum between stress, mourning and physical and mental disorders…..considering that they are expressed at the level of increasing global biological alterations of the organism such as
-chronic low-level inflammation,
-increased cellular oxidative stress,
-dysfunctions in the metabolism of mitochondria,
-increase in proinflammatory cytokines,
– autoimmune type alterations.
-alterations in corticosteroid levels
-alterations in the intestinal flora
all this showing that the organism is in a state of alarm, is making an effort to adapt, because it is not in a situation of balance and stability. (In the annex I will explain these approaches in more technical detail if you are more interested in delving into the subject, now I am going to make an introductory approach)
The neuroprogression approach is not exempt, of course, from contradictions and limitations, but it is very interesting because it widens the field of analysis and is consistent with psychosocial and community models, evolutionary, psychoanalytic models that have always opposed reductionism, many times bordering on fanaticism, of radical biologism that caricatured mental disorders as a mere neuronal failure, totally oblivious to people’s experiences and taking into account their vital and social context
Neuroprogression, the increase in the affectation of numerous biological mechanisms, would occur continuously (as the name progression itself indicates). What I do not share with this theory is that this process occurs due to a progression, a natural development of biological alterations, but that this progression of biological alterations comes from the fact that society does not understand or support the person in situations of stress and mourning or with mental disorders and their suffering becomes chronic and the increasing biological alterations that neuroprogression defines very well appear, but which are not the cause but the consequence of the stigmatization and exclusion of the person suffering from a mental disorder
From this point of view, the case of the salmon that must go up the river to reproduce, or the bear that lives in captivity is used as an example of tension, (of an allostatic situation, of stress, it is said)… these situations of tension produce alterations in your nervous system and in your body, which if they are perpetuated end up generating physical or mental illness
This approach is also very interesting because it shows something that has been held for a long time and that is that most mental disorders would share the same biological alterations, so the differences would be much more in the management of psychological elements, linked to the information management processes, which are not purely biological
An exciting approach, as long as it is integrated with the psychological and social elements in which the mental disorder is framed
If anyone wants to read more, I recommend the book “Neuroprogesion in Psychiatry” published this year by the University of Oxford, coordinated among others by Flávio Kapzzinky, you can also see more information on my website https://josebaachotegui.com/
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE. EXHIBIT.
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALTERATIONS CAUSED BY NEUROPROGRESSION
| As I have pointed out, the organism, in an attempt to adapt to a situation of imbalance and tension, mobilizes a series of processes throughout the body, among which we would highlight: 1. Low-level chronic inflammation or meta-inflammation Inflammation is a basic response of the organism to aggressions, injuries, infections and situations of tension, fatigue, hunger….. This inflammation seen in mental disorders is common to that found in cardiovascular disease. This chronic inflammation hinders neural plasticity essential for adaptation Inflammation is expressed with a high activity of proinflammatory cytokines such as chemokines, interleukins, interferons, especially the cytokines IL-6, IL-17, IL-1b…. Cytokines directly pass the blood-brain barrier, affecting the functioning of neurotransmitters, especially serotonin due to the activation of the indoleamine 2-3 dioxygenase and kumerin monooxygenase C-reactive protein is also increased Decreased melatonin, which is an anti-inflammatory and facilitator of neuronal regeneration. It is estimated that in the lateral ventricle and in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus some 700 new neurons are generated per day and that if stress and mourning situations and mental disorders become chronic, this process is compromised 2. Increased oxidative stress -The balance between oxidative activity and antioxidant defenses is broken (Coenzyme Q10, glutathione, superoxide dismutase MsSOD, melatonin) -Gives rise to alterations in RNA and DNA. Especially the guanine base of DNA is very sensitive to alteration by oxidation and its affectation is related to the lower expression of numerous genes, which increases the vulnerability of the subject. -Elevation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity. -Lower level of exogenous antioxidants with increased risk of oxidative stress It must be taken into account that these biological processes that are observed in mental disorders are similar to those that tend to occur with aging under normal conditions, as well as in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s 3. Alteration of the functioning of mitochondria: The chronically increased secretion of corticosteroids affects mitochondrial functioning with a decrease in the production of Adenosintriphosphate (ATP), a fundamental substance for cell activity. Increased activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome and TRYCATs with alteration of mitochondrial function 4. Hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal medulla axis, with an increase in corticosteroids, the one that had been most known up to now, but that we know is a factor among others 5. Immunity alterations. There are numerous connections between the nervous system and the immune system, the cytokine system being one of the most relevant. It is also known that stressful situations can give rise to autoimmune-type processes, for example thyroid-autoimmune, which are associated with bipolar disorder. These autoimmune connections would help us to understand, for example, the relationships between cancer and psychological aspects. 6. Alteration of intestinal permeability and intestinal flora linked to epigenetic processes Of course, all these mechanisms act interactively and jointly. |