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Understanding Gut Inflammation May Hold Clues to Mitigating Parkinson’s Onset

AHA Publisher — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 07:00:31 +0000

Van Andel Research Institute via EurekAlert – GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (JUNE 8, 2021) — Chronic inflammation in the gut may propel processes in the body that give rise to Parkinson’s disease, according to a study by scientists at Van Andel Institute and Roche. The study, published in Free Neuropathology, is the latest in a growing list that links the gut and the immune system to Parkinson’s. The researchers’ findings in an experimental mouse model of gut inflammation track with several large-scale epidemiological studies that show an association between Parkinson’s and inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Epidemiological evidence from other groups indicates the risk of developing Parkinson’s fades in certain people whose inflammatory bowel disease is treated with anti-TNF, a standard-of-care anti-inflammatory therapy, which suggests that reducing gut inflammation may have promise for mitigating Parkinson’s onset. “There is increasing evidence that changes in the gut can affect a variety of neurological and psychiatric brain disorders,” said Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D., VAI deputy chief scientific officer and co-corresponding author of the study. “Parkinson’s is a complex disease with a wide range of factors that work in concert to spark its onset and progression. We need to understand the gut’s likely influence on Parkinson’s development better. This study provides novel insights, and this new knowledge can facilitate the development of improved treatment approaches.” In their disease models, the team found that chronic gut inflammation triggers a protein called alpha-synuclein to clump together in walls of the colon, as well as in local immune cells called macrophages. A similar process may play out in the colons of some people — such as those with inflammatory bowel diseases — thereby increasing their risk to develop Parkinson’s as shown in studies by other groups. Similarly, in the brains of people with Parkinson’s, “sticky” alpha-synuclein aggregates also develop. For reasons that still are unclear, these aggregates can clog the molecular machinery that keep neurons alive. The resulting loss of some of these critical cells — and the chemical messenger they produce called dopamine — causes Parkinson’s hallmark movement-related symptoms, such as freezing and loss of voluntary movement. The additional wide-spread development of alpha-synuclein aggregates throughout the brain also may be associated with the disease’s non-motor symptoms and may fuel its progression, which cannot be slowed or stopped with existing treatments. The study also revealed that chronic inflammation in the gut early in life can exacerbate alpha-synuclein clumping throughout the brain in older mice. While it isn’t clear exactly how this happens, the team has two theories: first, they suggest inflammatory chemicals may travel from the gut to the brain via the bloodstream, triggering a runaway inflammatory immune response that leads to protein aggregation. Another idea is that alpha-synuclein aggregates may travel to the brain via the vagus nerve, one of the longest nerves in the body and a “superhighway” between the gut and the brain. Once there, the proteins may then execute their toxic activity in the brain. “We now know that systems throughout the body contribute to Parkinson’s,” said Emmanuel Quansah, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Brundin’s lab and a key contributor and co-author of the study. “It was striking to see protein aggregation pathology in the brain that mirrored pathology in the colon brought on by inflammation. A particularly intriguing observation was the loss dopamine-producing nerve cells — which play a major role in Parkinson’s onset — in our models that had gut inflammation a year-and-a-half earlier.” Notably, the team also found that modulating immune activation in the colitis mouse model by genetic or therapeutic means tuned the level of alpha-synuclein clumps in the colon up or down. “Our results in mice, together with the genetic and epidemiological data by others in humans, make a strong case for further exploring systemic immune pathways for future therapies and biomarkers for Parkinson’s,” said Markus Britschgi, Ph.D., Senior Principal Scientist and Section Head in the Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Research Department at the Roche Innovation Center Basel and co-corresponding author of the study. Authors include first author Stefan Grathwohl, Ph.D. (previously a Roche postdoctoral fellow), Nazia Maroof, Ph.D. (previously a Roche postdoctoral fellow), Liz Spycher, Krisztina Oroszlan-Szovik, M.S., Helga Remy, Markus Haenggi M.S., and Marc Stawiski of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel; Jennifer A. Steiner, Ph.D., Zachary Madaj, M.S., and Martha L. Escobar Galvis, Ph.D., of VAI; Fethallah Benmansour, Ph.D., of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, pREDi, Roche Innovation Center Basel; Gonzalo Duran-Pacheco, Ph.D., Juliane Siebourg-Polster, Ph.D., Matthias Selhausen, Pierre Maliver, EVCP, Arel Su, DVM, and Annika Herrmann, DECVP, of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel; Andreas Wolfert and Thomas Emrich, Ph.D., of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Munich; and Christoph Mueller, Ph.D., of Institute of Pathology, University of Bern. To read the original article click here.

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Foods That Can Reduce Anxiety, Depression & PTSD with Nutritional Psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo

AHA Publisher — Tue, 18 May 2021 07:00:30 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – Nutritional psychiatry is the use of healthy, whole foods to improve mental fitness, which includes our emotional health and mental wellbeing. This is fairly new science; over the past two decades, scientists have just begun to realize that what we eat and how we feel are very connected. Nutritional psychiatry is based on personalized eating plans that suit the individual best. It is not a “one size fits all” program. Rather, nutritional psychiatry is based on a holistic, integrated and functional approach that allows you to work closely with your physician to design an eating plan that works best for you and your mind. Dr. Uma talks about this approach to mental health in detail in her new book This is Your Brain on Food. As she notes, when it comes to mental health, we need to speak to the person, not just label them and move on. We need to understand the context behind their mental distress and take a holistic and integrated approach to their healing. What are ways to help the patient feel better that actually work for them? The basis of nutritional psychiatry is the conversation that goes on between the gut and the brain.Both the gut and the brain arise from the exact same cells in the body during fetal development, and they are connected through the vagus nerve—a two-way superhighway between these two organs that is busy 24/7. In fact, around 95% of our serotonin is produced in the gut, while it is also responsible for an estimated 75% of our immune system. The gut truly is a massive and important organ! As Dr. Uma notes, the close relationship between the gut and brain makes what we eat very important when it comes to our mental health. For example, highly processed and refined junks foods can impact the gut-brain connection if eaten regularly over time and affect our mental and emotional wellbeing. On the other hand, during the colder and darker months, what we eat (such as foods high in Vitamin D) can help us feel better and manage seasonal affective disorder. One of the easiest tweaks many of us can make right now is to eat more fruits and vegetables. As Dr. Uma notes, this is one of the main principles of the Mediterranean diet. But does this mean that the Mediterranean diet works for everyone? No—we are all different, and we all have different nutritional needs when it comes to our mind and body. There are many ways to incorporate good foods into our diet to improve our physical and mental health, such as eating more fiber-rich foods and fermented foods, which studies have shown can help improve overall gut health and the communication between the gut and brain. Of course, in a perfect world, we should try to get most of our nutrients from our food. But because we don’t live in a perfect world, sometimes we may need to supplement (with the advice of a medical professional) to get what we may be missing in our diets. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Leaf click here.

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How Breathwork Can Help Heal Trauma & Reduce Physical Inflammation

AHA Publisher — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 08:00:38 +0000

Dr. Will Cole via Dr. Caroline Leaf – Take a deep breath. Chances are you feel a lot better. While many of us recognize that we feel better after taking a deep breath, not a lot of us understand why we do. But the thing is, the mind-body connection is very real and as a functional medicine practitioner, it is my job to bridge the gap between mental and physical health. Breathwork is one tool that has been utilized over the years to naturally bring awareness back to the present moment while also tangibly alleviating stress, anxiety, and a variety of other health problems. What might seem like a new-age practice, breathwork actually has a lot of scientific evidence to back up its use in the wellness world. Let’s take a deeper look at how breathing can play a role in elevating your overall health. What Is Breathwork? Breathwork is a type of practice that involves intentionally changing the way that you breathe through a variety of controlled practices. There are many different ways to practice breathwork, each designed to achieve their own unique outcome. Breathwork can also be a very spiritual practice with roots in a lot of yogic traditions. However, breathwork has been utilized by many in the natural health world regardless of their religious or spiritual beliefs. Benefits of Breathwork 1. Improves lung health Deep breathing exercises can help maintain healthy oxygen levels but they also expand your lung capacity similarly to exercise. This can be especially important during cold and flu season and for older populations who are more susceptible to pneumonia and other lung problems. 2. Lowers blood pressure Your vagus nerve travels from the base of your brain down into your abdomen and researchers suspect that deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. This is important considering activation of the vagus nerve has been shown to help lower blood pressure and heart rate. 3. Calms inflammation Breathwork has been shown to have some incredible anti-inflammatory capabilities. Studies have shown breathwork can decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6 along with an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10. 4. Reduces stress Your vagus nerve also influences your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which is responsible for restoring balance in the body after periods of stress. By stimulating that through breathwork you are increasing parasympathetic tone while also lowering cortisol levels – the body’s stress hormone. 5. Helps you refocus Under stressful conditions, breathing gets shallower, which further perpetuates stress and anxiety. Breathwork brings you back to the present moment by allowing you to pause so you can refocus on the situation at hand in a calmer state. 6. Aids in PTSD recovery Certain types of breathwork practices such as diaphragmatic breathing have been shown to be an effective treatment for PTSD long-term. Types of Breathwork While there are a lot more breathwork practices you can do, these are three of my all-time favorites for their specific benefits. These are great beginner practices to help you get started if you are new to breathwork. 1. 4-7-8 breathing 4-7-8 breathing is incredibly simple and you can do it anywhere such as while you’re cooking or at work. To start, breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and then exhale for 8 seconds. This type of breathing has been shown to: Reduce asthma symptoms Reduce fatigue Bolster stress management Reduce hypertension Reduce anxiety Reduce aggressive behavior Improve migraines 2. Box breath Also known as square breathing, this more forceful breathwork practice became popular with Marines and athletes for its ability to help you feel relaxed while still giving you a boost of energy. Start by inhaling through the nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale from your mouth for 4 seconds, and end by holding your breath for 4 seconds. You will repeat this four times. 3. Diaphragmatic breathing Many people don’t realize that in healthy lungs, the diaphragm does most of the actual work when breathing. Therefore it’s important to focus on strengthening your diaphragm for optimal lung health. To practice diaphragmatic breathing, lie flat on the floor with one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Breathe in through your nose for 2 seconds, making sure your stomach expands rather than your chest. Next, purse your lips and exhale for 2 seconds while pressing on your stomach. Repeat a few times. Breathwork is a great tool to incorporate into your daily routine since it can be done anywhere without any expensive equipment. Tune into your body and let your breath calm your mind while improving your overall health. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Leaf click here.

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