Distrbios Mentais e Inflamao Neurolgica New research is increasingly finding that not only are many cognitive disorders

such as Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia related to inflammation among brain tissues, but classic mental diseases such as schizophrenia and depression may also be connected to brain inflammation. Recent research from Japan's Kyushu niversity !edical "chool and "aga niversity have been revealing that many mental disorders are produced by inflammation involving the microglia cells of the brain. What are microglia? #he microglia are immune cells categorized as macophages, but they are focused upon the health of the central nervous system $ particularly the brain and spine. !icroglia roam the neurons of these areas in search for to%ins, intruders and possible infections. &articularly at issue in cognitive issues such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease is the build up of amyloid pla'ue among brain cells. #he microglia are the immune cells that prevent and clean up pla'ue build up among brain cells. (hen the microglia populations are damaged or otherwise altered, the brain and )N" becomes increasingly susceptible to mental disorders such as dementia, schizophrenia, depression and mental fatigue. Neuroinflammation and microglia Neuroinflammation is the result of damage among brain cells. *ealthy microglia populations are focused upon preventing inflammation among neurons, in turn preventing damage to brain cells. *owever, when brain cells are damaged, microglia wor+ harder to repair the damage by producing a variety of inflammatory factors. #he damage to neurons, evidenced by these inflammatory factors, hamper the brain's function. ,i+e other types of macrophages, the microglia are formed within the bone marrow. -nce they migrate to the brain, they differentiate into particular responsibilities and different regions. "ome microglia are focused on infections, others are focused upon to%ins or damaged cells. -thers stimulate the repair of brain tissues. Plaque and neuroinflammation #he build.up of pla'ue among brain cells $ connected to dementia $ stimulates the microglia as they wor+ to try to remove the damage. /amage from o%idative stress and glycation byproducts have been lin+ed to this build up of pla'ue among brain cells. Research by /r. A+ira !on0i and associates has connected mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depressive states and cognitive issues to these increases in microglia

inflammatory factors such as nitric o%ide and cyto+ines. (hen the microglia have rapidly e%panded in the face of damage to brain cells, they produce these inflammatory factors. /r. !on0i's research has shown that the brain tissues of schizophrenia, depression and dementia patients have increased levels of these microglia inflammatory factors. 1urthermore, their research has found that one of the central mechanisms of psychiatric drugs is that they reduce levels of these inflammatory factors $ temporarily. ,i+e most pharmaceuticals, this temporary reduction of inflammatory factors does little to prevent or reduce the cause of the inflammation. 1urthermore, by bloc+ing inflammatory factors, the drugs wor+ to interfere with the damage repair that is ta+ing place, driven by the microglia immune cells. #his is often the scenario for drugs that are focused upon the symptoms rather than the causes of a condition. What causes neuroinflammation? #he cause of neuroinflammation, as shown in numerous dementia studies, relates to o%idative damage. -%idation is produced through an imbalance between to%ins that form o%idative radicals and those antio%idants that neutralize those radicals. (hen the system is not balanced, o%idation ta+es place, not only among tissues among the cardiovascular system, but also among brain tissues. #his of course is why recent research, such as a new 1rench and 1innish 2N"3R! study, has lin+ed cognitive decline to increased obesity, diabetes and heart disease. #he study, led by /r. !i+a Kivima+i and associates from the 1rench government's investigative body, 2N"3R!, with support from the .". National 2nstitutes of !edicine, studied 4,567 adults between 89 and 48 years old. #hey found that people who were obese and suffered from metabolic disorder :cardiovascular disease and;or diabetes< had more than a ==> greater cognitive decline than those who were of normal weight with no metabolic disorder. #his study has been confirmed by others that have related cognitive decline to cardiovascular disease, sedentary lifestyles, obesity and increased levels of to%ins. #hese issues have all been connected to higher levels of inflammation in the body. #he bridge to these relationships has been provided by the Japanese research, finding that neuroinflammation is one of the +ey factors affecting mental disorders of many types. ntio!idants and mental disorders Numerous studies have shown that antio%idants neutralize o%idative radicals that produce inflammation. #he very term ?antio%idant? is founded upon research showing that particular phyto.chemicals directly neutralize the o%idative effects of radicals formed by to%ins. #his is supported by the research.

1or e%ample, in another large 1rench study published this !arch in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that a healthy diet with greater antio%idant inta+e was associated with reduced ris+ of cognitive decline after the researchers removed factors relating to e%ercise, alcohol inta+e, calories, gender, age, education and obesity. #his is of course despite the fact that other research has found that smo+ing and lac+ of e%ercise both increase the rate of cognitive decline, as illustrated in a study by some of the same 2N"3R! researchers that lin+ed obesity and cognitive decline. (hat this all means is that mental disorders are no longer conditions that necessarily fall within the abstract domain of behavioral psychology and psychiatry, where treatments such as lobotomy, electric shoc+ and psychotropic drugs have produced a myriad of adverse mental and physical effects. Rather, the research is conclusive@ !any mental disorders are in fact produced by poor diets and poor lifestyles, and thus are to a great degree preventable. #his research also brings mental disorders within the realm of natural health and nutrition. (hat is now +nown is that a person with a healthy diet containing plenty of antio%idants, together with an active lifestyle, has a significantly reduced ris+ of having a mental disorder. !ore importantly, a person with a healthier, antio%idant.rich diet will also stand a better chance of remaining alert into their elderly years.
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