Bipolar and Schizophrenia: cause and cure

They lied to us about schizophrenia

I had my episode at age fifteen after a strenuous hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail. Leading up to the onslaught I was experiencing extremely bad fatigue and tinnitus both are also symptoms of a MYELINE disorder. I have Charcot Marie tooth which is a chronic inherited disease where the tissues and nerves wear thin over time unless you could reverse it!!!

I have a documented hereditary gene disorder: Charcot Marie Tooth 1A

Means a duplicated GENE

This is the cause of schizophrenia and bipolar: various genetic mutations like this

CMT affects 1 percent of the population!

Why do so many schizophrenics smoke weed? What alleviates symptoms of demyelination?
What reverses the root condition?
Marijuana reverses myelinated nerve damage and alleviated symptoms of MS and muscle atrophy in several studies.

Screw your health insurance!

Researchers find interaction between two genes may by a factor in developing schizophrenia. Indentification of the genes may provide a target for treatment of the condition, they say. (Photo : Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore)
The discovery of a link between the abnormal behavior of a pair of genes and schizophrenia has suggested a new target for treatment of the mental disorder, researchers say.

In schizophrenia, which affects almost one percent of the global population, impairment in brain development can lead to an imbalance of signals inside the brain, often resulting in hallucinations and paranoia in its sufferers.

“We wanted to understand the mechanism by which the brain circuit operates,” explains senior study author Shawn Je in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program at Duke-NUS Singapore. “In particular, we wanted to understand the ability of a specific type of cell in the brain, termed interneurons, to modulate brain network activity to maintain a balance in brain signaling.”

The researchers focused on the gene DTNBP1, which has been shown to create schizophrenia-like behaviors in mice when it is below normal levels or has been subject to genetic disruption.

Schizophrenia (/ˌskÉȘtsɔˈfrɛniə/ or /ˌskÉȘtsɔˈfriːniə/) is a mental disorder often characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure to recognize what is real. Common symptoms include false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking, auditory hallucinations, reduced social engagement and emotional expression, and lack of motivation. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the person’s reported experiences.

Genetics and early environment, as well as psychological and social processes, appear to be important contributory factors. Some recreational and prescription drugs appear to cause or worsen symptoms. The many possible combinations of symptoms have triggered debate about whether the diagnosis represents a single disorder or a number of separate syndromes. Despite the origin of the term, from Greek skhizein, meaning “to split”, and phrēn, meaning “mind”, schizophrenia does not imply a “split personality” or “multiple personality disorder” — a condition with which it is often confused in public perception.[1] Rather, the term means a “splitting of mental functions”, reflecting the presentation of the illness.[2]

The mainstay of treatment is antipsychoticmedication, which primarily suppresses dopamine receptor activity. Counseling, job training and social rehabilitation are also important in treatment. In more serious cases—where there is risk to self or others—involuntary hospitalization may be necessary, although hospital stays are now shorter and less frequent than they once were.[3]

One of the most frustrating things about my job as a mental health writer has to be dealing with the people that say that mental illness doesn’t exist. It’s dealing with the people who say that bipolar disorder doesn’t exist because there is no definitive biological test and therefore does not need treatment. It’s dealing with the people who say that as mental illness is “all in your head,” it isn’t real, and psychiatry is a sham.

I fear these people will cause me a very real aneurysm.

So today we look at some of the neurobiological evidence for bipolar disorder. So that I, and you, can answer these people with a few facts.

Bipolar Disorder Etiology (Causes)
No one knows, specifically, what combination of factors causes any single case of bipolar disorder but it is clear that genetic, biochemical, psychodynamic, and environmental factors play a role. But no single factor can cause bipolar disorder. We simply know of many factors that increase your risk, not specifically the ones that will absolutely cause it. This is similar to our understanding of cancer.

Biological Markers of Bipolar Disorder
The Holy Grail in bipolar disorder diagnosis would be a biological marker that we could test for that would definitely indicate the presence or the absence of bipolar disorder. For example, a brain scan that would point to the illness.

Unfortunately we don’t have that, yet. But we’re steadily moving in that direction.

There are some things we’re getting clear on. Research has shown the following:

Myelin, a sheath that covers a neuron projection, increases conduction of nerve impulses in the brain. A loss of myelin is thought to lead to disrupted communication in the brain and thought disturbances such as those seen in bipolar disorder. Brain imaging and postmortem studies show that people with bipolar disorder have abnormal and decreased myelin is several areas of the brain.
A decrease in gray matter mass is seen in various part of the brain, and in some cases, areas that regulate emotion, in those with bipolar disorder.
Cell loss and atrophy is also apparent in some areas of the brain in those with bipolar disorder. Some of the medications that treat bipolar disorder are known to increase factors that protect neurons (neuroplasticity and cellular resiliency) and fight this effect.
Some types of interneurons have been found to be reduced in the hippocampus of people with bipolar disorder.
(It’s worth noting that many of the above brain alterations are seen in similar forms in the brains of people with schizophrenia suggesting a strong link between the two disorders.)

However, while all of the above are brain changes that have been shown to appear in bipolar disorder, none of these can definitely be used for diagnosis.

Part two of this series will focus on the genetics of bipolar disorder.

Please see here for more information on the neurobiology of bipolar disorder.

Dysmyelination Edit
Dysmyelination is characterized by a defective structure and function of myelin sheaths; unlike demyelination, it does not produce lesions. Such defective sheaths often arise from genetic mutations affecting the biosynthesis and formation of myelin. The shiverer mouse represents one animal model of dysmyelination. Human diseases where dysmyelination has been implicated include leukodystrophies(Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease, Canavan disease, phenylketonuria) and schizophrenia.[11][12][13]

THC and CBD

Known to be the principal cause of psychoactive effects, THC is one of many cannabinoids found within the pot plant. THC affects a marijuana user by attaching itself to specific receptors located within the body, particularly in the central nervous system and the immune system. The receptors are found in the limbic system (activity in this region affects memory, cognition, and psychomotor performance), the mesolimbic pathway (this area of the brain is associated with feelings of reward) and also in central nervous system regions associated with pain perception. CBD is another cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant though it works very differently than THC and is known to be primarily non-psychoactive.

Because past studies have shown these two chemical compounds possess anti-inflammatory properties, the researchers of the current study decided to investigate their effects on the immune system. “Inflammation is part of the body’s natural immune response, but in cases like MS it gets out of hand,” Kozela stated in a press release.
In fact, it is known that the immune system of a person with multiple sclerosis is working overtime and has effectively begun to attack the nervous system. Specifically, this immune response begins to damage or even destroy the myelin sheath, a protective covering wrapped around each nerve cell. When the sheath is damaged in this way, signals which normally flow between the nerve cells slow down or stop completely and this in turn causes a range of debilitating motor, physical, and mental problems for the person suffering from MS.

Medical Marijuana and MS

For this study, the researchers isolated immune cells from paralyzed mice and treated them with either CBD or THC. In both instances, immune cells treated with either CBD or THC began to produce fewer inflammatory molecules, including one called interleukin 17, or IL-17, which is extremely harmful to nerve cells and their myelin sheaths. IL-17 is also strongly associated with MS. Both CBD and THC seemed to inhibit production of IL-17 and so also seemed to restrict its ability to reach and damage the brain and spinal cord. Additionally, the researchers found that the cannabinoids seemed to boost expression of cytokine IL-10, which is an immunoregulator that acts to slow inflammatory processes. The researchers noted that much more research is needed to prove the effectiveness of cannabinoids in treating MS in humans.

“When used wisely, cannabis has huge potential,” Dr. Ewa Kozela of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, stated in a press release. “We’re just beginning to understand how it works. Our study looks at how compounds isolated from marijuana can be used to regulate inflammation to protect the nervous system and its functions."

Because past studies have shown these two chemical compounds possess anti-inflammatory properties, the researchers of the current study decided to investigate their effects on the immune system. “Inflammation is part of the body’s natural immune response, but in cases like MS it gets out of hand,” Kozela stated in a press release.

http://neuro-diversity.blogspot.com/2014/12/myelinations-link-to-brain-disorders.html

Some say that we should just trust the people who cost us all this wasted time and abuse. Who wants to win a settlement?

I take supplements that reduce inflammation and increase myelination. I had a brain scan done and I had white matter lesions and a cyst in my brain. The main cause suggested was migraines. My neurologist thought I didn’t have schizophrenia, but migraines. After doing some googling, I found out that there is a type of migraine that causes psychotic symptoms.

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Thanks for this information. I have tinnitus for as long as I can remember. Would be nice to have physical test to prove these mental illnesses.

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Thank Gawd for a voice (sorry) of empirical facts.