Psychotherapy Treatment for Patients with Schizophrenia

Posted on October 4, 2021 by / 0 Comment

Wnt and GSK3 Signaling Pathways Role in Schizophrenia

The etiology of schizophrenia is still unknown, but researchers today know more about this disease than in the past. Patients with schizophrenia have increased levels of dopamine in their brain; dopamine leads to higher levels of GSK and β-catenin. These high levels of dopamine inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway. The Wnt pathway causes the transcription of TCF/LEF genes. Patients with schizophrenia have less TCF/LEF gene expression because the increased level of dopamine inhibits the Wnt pathway.

Medications used for the treatment of schizophrenia target molecules such as Akt, GSK, and β-catenin to regulate the dopamine and Wnt signaling pathways. Antipsychotics activate Akt which leads to a decrease in GSK. Akt phosphorylates GSK leaving it inhibited; The Wnt pathway functions in the presence of low levels of GSK. Lithium is another medication used in schizophrenia therapies and has three main functions: inhibiting GSK, destabilizing the destruction complex, and competing with Mg+. Prescriptions today need great improvement to better treat patients with schizophrenia.

Psychotherapy as a Form of Treatment for Schizophrenia

Medications do not improve the symptoms many patients experiences. Patients are often noncompliant with regularly taking their medication for a variety of reasons such as the side effects they experience, delusional thoughts, and a lack of trust in medical staffhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741082/.

Psychotherapy can be beneficial when treating schizophrenia because it can help the patient understand their own behaviors and emotions. Many patients with schizophrenia have had traumatic events in their life that they have never emotionally processed. Psychotherapy has been shown to increase mindfulness, interpersonal attachment, personal narrative, and metacognitive skills in patients with schizophrenia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741082/.

Five approaches to psychotherapy have been identified that are useful in the treatment of schizophrenia. These approaches have the best outcome for patients when they are integrated together based on personal needs.

The first model helps the patient to understand their response to psychosis, underlying cognitive processes, and understand their roots of adjustment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741082/. The next model of psychotherapy seeks to validate patient experiences and propose alternative ways of thinking. The third integrative approach emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships, especially ones with a licensed therapeutic figure https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741082/. A fourth model of psychotherapy targets patient awareness of poor insight. Patients will attend group training sessions and learn to assess their self-stigma, restructure thought processes, and enhance their personal narrative. The final category for integration suggests that the therapist and patient relationship must emphasize the here-and-now and trust that is being developed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741082/.

Figure 1 is an artstract I made that represents the healing process for someone with schizophrenia. There are still many questions about this illness that need answers. Patients need personalized therapeutic treatments and achieving this often takes a great deal of time, trial-and-error, and cooperation. Someone suffering from schizophrenia has to undergo a variety of medications and treatments that can leave them feeling worse than before. The hallucinations and delusions one can experience with schizophrenia can feel more normal to them than how they feel after taking a prescription.

Figure 1: This figure depicts just a few of the symptoms a patient suffering from schizophrenia can experience. It can feel overwhelming to live with a mind that is creating its own personal hell. A licensed therapeutic professional can help patients with schizophrenia learn techniques to deal with their symptoms and hopefully live a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life.

Uncategorized

Animal Behavior Regarding Schizophrenia

Posted on October 4, 2021 by / 0 Comment

Different models have been used in order to determine whether an animal is showing signs of schizophrenia due to them being unable to self-report hallucinations, scattered thinking and other features of the disease. These models include developmental, drug-induced, genetic, and sex differences in animal models. Neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, include symptoms such as paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations that are uniquely human and make interpretation of results obtained from animal models more difficult. Increased locomotor activity in response to psychotomimetic compounds such as amphetamine or noncompetitive NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists is commonly used as an indication of positive symptoms in schizophrenia, a deficit in prepulse inhibition (PPI, where a weaker sound prepulse delivered prior to a stronger sound pulse inhibits the natural startle response to the second stimulus) is used as a proxy for sensorimotor gating problems, and changes in social interaction are used as an indicator of negative symptoms.

Developmental Model

The methylazomethanol (MAM) model involves prenatal administration of MAM into pregnant rats. MAM is an antimitotic and antiproliferative agent that methylates DNA47 and acts specifically on proliferation of neuroblasts without affecting glia or producing teratogenic effects in peripheral organs. Administering MAM to pregnant rat’s results in neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioral changes in the offspring that depend on the gestational day (GD) of administration, with GD17 animals being the most used in schizophrenia animal models.

Figure 1. Behavioral tests that are conducted on animals that present positive, negative or cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and how this effects their results.Continue reading →

Disease

Schizophrenia: A breakdown

Posted on October 4, 2021 by / 0 Comment

Schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative disease that over 2.6 million American have, although over 40 percent of them are untreated. While there are a lot of movies and other popular media that depict the disease, they often paint a false portrait. There is a general lack of understanding in the science community regarding the disease. We can conclude there is a disruption in the development of the brain and a possible malfunction in signaling pathways. Scientists are exploring the pathogenesis and possible treatments of this terrible disease.

Wnt/GSK/B-Catenin

In the development of the brain one pathway is especially important. The Wnt/GSK pathway is important in the development of organs and the mammalian brain. In adults the canonical pathway is influential in cell proliferation and STEM cell homeostasis. Under normal conditions the aptly named destruction complex phosphorylates and degrades the protein B-Catenin. When Wnt receptors are activated the destruction complex and its protein kinase, GSK, are bound to the cell membrane. This allows B-Catenin to penetrate the nucleus and transcribe DNA leading to cell growth and proliferation.

A disruption in this Wnt pathway is evident in the pathology of schizophrenia. With no Wnt activation the destruction complex runs wild, phosphorylating B-Catenin and preventing cell division and proliferation. As this pathway is important in the development of the brain, a change in the early stages of life would be increasingly detrimental. This makes sense in the pathology of schizophrenia in which we see a change in the anatomy of the brain. The brains of people with developed Schizophrenia have far less active and healthy brain tissue which can be attributed to a dysfunctional Wnt pathway.

What are the symptoms of this disruption?

In Schizophrenia there are both positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are the commonly known, they include patients hearing voices, having imaginary people in their lives, or other allusions of the grander. These are the symptoms we see in movies that depict mostly unrealistic imaginations or fantastical conspiracies. In reality the majority of patients are somewhat functional and aware. Negative symptoms include a lack of motivation, sloth, and flatness in personality. While the disease seems to be a consequence of early developmental issues the symptoms don’t show until late adolescence or young adulthood.

Treatments

There are a couple different treatment options available to those who have this disease. The first being antipsychotics, which are ridden with side effects and consequentially a lack of patient compliance. Another treatment option is lithium. While more common in the treatment of bipolar disorder, it works by inhibiting GSK which is a source of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

Origin

These dysfunctions in the brain development and signaling pathways can be attributed to many different things. Drug use by both the individual and their mother is linked to increased chances of developing the disease. Genetic mutations and nucleotide variations caused by stimuli in the environment can also increase hour chances of getting schizophrenia. There needs to be and is more research being done on genetic implications with the disease.

Conclusion

Schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative disease where there is a disruption in the development of the brain and a possible malfunction in signaling pathways. A disruption in this Wnt pathway is evident in the pathology of schizophrenia. There are a couple different treatment options available to those who have this disease although they are not very affective. Further research is needed to help solve this health crisis and bring relief to millions of affected individuals

Disease/Health/Hot topics

Schizophrenia ~ Reality vs Delusions in the Media

Posted on October 3, 2021 by / 0 Comment

Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia can be categorized into three categories (Positive, Negative, and Cognitive). Below is a great diagram of the difference between these categories.

Positive

Delusions
- firm beliefs not supported by objective
- Delusion of control: something/someone is controlling them
- Delusion of reference: the statements made on TV or the radio are directed towards them
  - Paranoia
- Changed perceptions
  - Vision
  - Hearing
  - Smell
  - Touch
  - Taste
- Hallucinations
  - hearing voices or seeing things
- Disorganized speech and behavior

Negative

“Flat Affect”
- no expressed emotions or facial expressions. Monotone voice
Alogia
- no real content within their speech
- When answering questions the individual will respond with simple answers such as “Yes” or “No” without further explanation or reasoning.
Anhedonia
- decreased feeling pressure or anxiety
Avolition
- decrease in motivation
- Difficulty planning, beginning and sustaining activities
- Lack of enjoyment in daily activities
- Social withdrawal

Cognitive

Difficulty with
- Attention
- Concentration
- Memory
- Processing info to make decisions
- Using info after learning it
- Focusing

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

Males tend to show signs and symptoms in their late adolescence to early 20’s. While females tend to show signs and symptoms in their late 20’s to early 30’s.

Symptoms occur in an organized cycle. The majority of individuals will experience their symptoms in order. It is very rare that symptoms will be presented in a different order.

Prodromal
- Socially withdraws
Active
- delusions
- hallucinations
- loss of motivation
- displayed changes in speech
- displayed changes in behavior
Residual
- Difficulty with
  - Attention
  - Concentration
  - Memory
  - Focusing
  - Processing info to make decisions
  - Using info after learning it

Below is a screenshot from a great video describing what Schizophrenia is and how it is caused.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PURvJV2SMso

Vocabulary

Positive symptoms: additions to normal processes
Negative symptoms: removal of normal processes
Signs: characteristics that can be observed by another person such as temperature and behavior
Symptoms: characteristics that are only observant/felt by the individual such as taste, smell, vision, hearing

Representation of Schizophrenia in the media:

Fight Club (1999)
A Beautful Mind (2001)
The Soloist (2009)
Shutter Island (2010)
Joker (2019)
Fear of Rain (2021)

It is important to research from trusted resources whether the movie or television show portrays the illness accurately. Examples of unrealistic representation would be the movie Split (2016) and Black Swan (2010) which are both listed on Google’s search page under “Movies about Schizophrenia”. Individuals with Schizophrenia are not able to change the state or chemistry of their bodies as Kevin in Split was seen to do. According to psychiatrist Nadine Kaslow who is vice-chair to the psychiatry department at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Nina in Balck Swan showed symptoms of Psychosis rather than Schizophrenia. Below is a visual describing the difference between Psychosis and Schizophrenia. Psychosis is series of episodes in which an individual loses touch with reality rather than a disease itself. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Movies/black-swan-psychiatrists-diagnose-natalie-portmans-portrayal-psychosis/story?id=12436873

https://www.verywellhealth.com/psychosis-vs-schizophrenia-5095195

Summary of In-Class Article

The article discussed the roles of Wnt and GSK3 signaling pathways in individuals with Schizophrenia. Wnt signaling disruption is being studied and used to create treatments for the illness in antipsychotics and lithium medications. The GSK3 gene is being studied as it is seen to decrease Wnt signaling and inhibit AKT.

Uncategorized

Schizophrenia: How to Diagnose

Posted on October 3, 2021 by / 0 Comment

Figure 1

What does it look like?

Many people in today’s world don’t know or haven’t seen someone they know have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but it is one of the most discussed psychological disorders to date. So, many are left with the ruminating thought: what does it look like? According the to DSM-5 (the standard classification of mental disorders by mental health professionals in the United States), a diagnosis of schizophrenia consists of two or more core symptoms, one of which must be hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech for at least one month. Other symptoms include but aren’t limited to:

Level of work, interpersonal relations, or self-care is significantly below what it was before the start of symptoms
Signs of disturbance that have lasted at least 6 months
Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorders with having psychotic symptoms ruled out
The disturbance is not caused by substance abuse or or other medical condition.

Lithium: the gripping history of a psychiatric success story

Figure 2: Commonly prescribed lithium capsules.

What happens after diagnosis?

A large part of understanding what schizophrenia looks like is also understanding what medical professionals are prescribing to try and treat schizophrenia. While there is no single treatment that has proved to be effective at treating schizophrenia, lithium (seen in Figure 2) has been one of the most commonly prescribed. This is because it has been shown to be an effective mood stabilizer, a treatment for aggression and excitement, and treatment of affective symptoms. But, like mentioned earlier, lithium isn’t effective for treating schizophrenia and therefore it often is not prescribed as a standalone treatment.

Neuroleptics: What Are They, How They Work, and More | Osmosis

Figure 3: A simplistic overview of how antipsychotics work into the brain.

Lithium is not the only prescription for treating schizophrenia however! There are also what are known as first and second generation antipsychotics that have been used as a treatment. These medications have been indicated for the treatment of both acute episodes of psychoses and maintence therapy of schizophrenia. First-generation antipsychotics are better used for treating positive symptoms of schizophrenia, such as delusions and hallucinations. They have also been shown to decrease the risk of repeated episodes of psychosis. Second-generation antipsychotics on the other hand have been used to treat both negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia, such as withdrawal. The benefit of second-generation antipsychotics is that they also reduce relapse rates in patients.

The difference between the two generations comes from their mechanisms of action. First-generation antipsychotics inhibit dopaminergic neurotransmission as well as noradrenergic, cholinergic, and histaminergic blocking areas. Second-generation antipsychotics work by blocking D2 dopamine receptors and serotonin receptor agonist action.

What we’ve learned

Through many years of study, professionals have determined the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia and have gotten really good at noticing these signs early in development. They haven’t yet found a “fix all” solution to schizophrenia, but they have developed some treatments to the symptoms such as lithium and first and second generation antipsychotics, the latter of which act on dopamine neurotransmission. Perhaps the future holds a solution to schizophrenia and not just they symptoms.

Uncategorized

Schizophrenia: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

Posted on October 2, 2021 by / 0 Comment

What is Schizophrenia and its possible causes?

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that impacts a small percentage of the population, more males than females. This disorder is serious and affects how individuals think, feel, behave, and how they perceive reality. Causes of Schizophrenia are unknown, but it is believed that genetics, viruses in development, as well as other environmental factors play a major role in this illness. During the second trimester, there are significant risk factors for Schizophrenia, especially if the pregnant mother is exposed to things such as viral illnesses or radiation. Environmental factors such as trauma or mind-altering drug use during childhood or adolescence may also play a role in this illness.

Wnt and DISC1:

Wnt signaling is a pathway that has many roles in the nervous system. The Wnt/B-catenin pathway is crucial in the regulation of cell proliferation during early development. Alterations in one or more Wnt pathways could affect brain development and lead to brain disorders such as Schizophrenia.

DISC1 is a gene that is looked at for Schizophrenia. DISC1 and Wnt signaling are linked, especially because it was found that DISC1 inhibits GSK3-beta functioning. DISC1 regulates B-catenin through GSK3-beta. Because of this, there is increased B-catenin levels and those stimulate TCF/LEF gene transcription. A Wnt signaling gene, Dixdc1, is directly working with DISC1 to regulate Wnt signaling. It seems that DISC1 works similarly to lithium and stabilizes mood.

Symptoms:

Schizophrenia symptoms usually begin to show in early adulthood and have to be present for at least six months before any diagnosis is able to be made. This illness includes positive and negative symptoms. It is important to note the symptoms that will be mentioned tend to vary from person to person. These symptoms can all come and go, and not everyone with Schizophrenia experiences all of the symptoms all of the time.

Positive Symptoms:
- Hallucinations:
  - Auditory
    - Hearing voices in their head; these voices may demand things of them.
  - Visual
    - Seeing lights, people, things that are not there; could be no longer living.
  - Olfactory/ Gustatory
    - These can be both good or bad smells/ tastes; may be perceived negatively and believe someone is attempting to poison them.
  - Tactile
    - Feelings of things moving on their body; this could be things such as insects.
- Delusions:
  - False beliefs; normally inaccurate
  - A few of the many types of delusions an individual may experience:
    - Delusions may be persecutory: believe things like they are being stalked, framed, or tricked.
    - Delusions can be religious, and the individual may believe they are possessed.
    - Erotomanic delusions, in which they may believe that a celebrity is in love with them.
- Confused thoughts/ disorganized speech
  - Difficult to follow a conversation when conversing with someone that suffers from Schizophrenia
- Trouble concentrating
  - Losing track of movie or TV show that is being watched or doing poorly in school.
- Movement disorders
  - Can seem jumpy, or be extremely still.

Negative Symptoms:
- Anhedonia
  - Lack of pleasure
- Alogia
  - Trouble with speech
- Flat affect
  - Emotions are not expressed at all, voice can be flat
- Apathy
  - Withdrawal from social life
- Struggle with daily tasks

Treatment options:

There is no cure for Schizophrenia, but there are some treatment options that help to manage the symptoms of Schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic medications: Target dopamine signaling pathway
- First-generation
  - Higher risk of side effects with this antipsychotic option
- Second-generation
  - Lower risk of side effects with this antipsychotic option
- Injectable
  - Given once to twice a month, may be a better option for individuals unable to take oral medications
Lithium
- Inhibits function of GSK3-beta
- Regulates Wnt signaling pathway
Psychosocial treatment
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Family/ group therapy
- Individual therapy
- Behavioral skills training

Sources:

Uncategorized

I Don’t W(a)nt Schizophrenia

Posted on October 1, 2021 by / 0 Comment

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is one of the leading causes of mental disability in the world. On average, schizophrenic patients are 1.0-2.0 standard deviations below the general population’s cognitive ability and they show delay in childhood development milestones. These factors suggest that schizophrenia may likely be a brain development disorder. It’s unclear exactly when the the development is disrupted as current hypothesis range from in utero to late adolescence.

Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway

Like many cell signaling pathways, the Wnt/B-catenin pathway is very complex and intertwined with many other signaling modalities. For simplicity, I will only discuss the main pathways of Wnt/B-catenin signaling and how it relates to schizophrenia. Although, it should be noted that there are more mechanisms of action for the different enzymes.

Reproduced from Jacques L. Michaud An emerging role for Wnt and GSk3 signaling pathways in schizophrenia

The pathway is first initiated by Wnt binding to its frizzled metabotropic receptor. This causes APC and DVL to migrate towards the cell membrane. As seen in figure 1, APC is part of what we call the ‘B-catenin destruction Complex’. APC and DVL work in tandem to inhibit the destruction complex from degrading B-catenin.

When there is free floating, cytosolic B-catenin, it is able to translocate into the cells nucleus and promote the expression of TCF/LEF. TCF/LEF are transcription factors that lead to genes like Axin, FGF, BMP, and Sox being transcribed. These genes are all important for ensuring proper growth and development of an organism.

Okay, so we have the structural framework of the Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway, but how does this relate to schizophrenia? To elucidate an answer to this, we must first further complicate our pathway. Our complication comes from the role protein kinase B (AKT) plays in inhibiting the B-catenin destruction complex. AKT expression is regulated by a tyrosine kinase receptor and its growth factor ligand. AKT acts by inhibiting an enzyme within the complex known as GSK3B. When GSK3B is inhibited, the destruction complex is non-functional and cytosolic B-catenin levels begin to increase.

Now, we have enough background knowledge to explain several of the leading molecular hypothesis for the cause of schizophrenia, as well as their treatments. The overarching relationship between schizophrenia and Wnt signaling is that Wnt-signaling is decreased or disrupted. This disruption leads to increased destruction complex activity, decreased B-catenin, and decreased “good” gene expression of TCF/LEF.

One such disruption is too much dopamine (DA) in the extracellular space. This leads to AKT inhibition which, as discussed above, typically inhibits the GSK3B destruction complex. Therefore, Excess DA signaling leads to decreased cytosolic B-catenin able to translocate to the nucleus and promote transcription of TCF/LEF.

Treatments

While there are many treatments for schizophrenia, they are often associated with a host of adverse side effects like tremors, sexual dysfunction, blurry vision, and drowsiness.

Describes the molecular pathways of treatment for schizophrenia — How Schizophrenic treatments work molecularly

Li++ inhibits the GSK3B destruction complex by destabilizing it. While much of this mechanism is unknown, it is hypothesized that the Li+ competes with Mg++ for a binding stie on GSK3B.
Many 1^st generation and 2^nd generation antipsychotics work as dopamine receptor (D2) antagonists. This means that they prevent DA from binding to its receptor. This Increases intracellular AKT leading to increased B-catenin and TCF/LEF gene transcription.

Community/Disease/Health

Insulin: not just about diabetes

Posted on September 30, 2021 by / 0 Comment

Insulin – a hormone involved in more than just Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes

Image from: https://theconversation.com/diabetes-new-test-could-detect-the-disease-much-earlier-101409

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how the body processes glucose. Insulin is the molecule that allows glucose to enter the body’s cells. The cell breaks down glucose to produce energy. In type 2 diabetes, the body cannot produce enough insulin, or it resists insulin. In both cases, the blood will be too concentrated with glucose, leading to hyperglycemia. This is the mechanism that produces type 2 diabetes, but is there another disease that has insulin resistance as a factor?

Alzheimer’s Disease

Image from: https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/lakeland-ear-nose-and-throat/ent-health-library/Content/85/P00772/

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterized as a progressive disease of memory loss, mood changes, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes, loss of physical functions, and an overall decrease of brain functioning. On the inside, neurofibrillary tangles, and amyloid -plaques are observed as key changes to the brain. Both of these phenomenon cause brain cells (neurons) to die.

Picture from: https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/novel-drug-prevents-amyloid-plaques-a-hallmark-of-alzheimers-disease

The neurofibrillary tangles are an abnormal accumulation of a protein, tau, that is hyperphosphorylated (too activated). Normally, tau supports the structure of the neuron by stabilizing microtubules which help guide nutrients and molecules down the cell. In AD, hyperphosphorylated tau detaches from the microtubules and stick to each other, forming tangles that block the neuron’s transport system from inside the cell.

Amyloid-beta plaques are clumps of beta-amyloid proteins that collect between neurons disrupting communication and inducing cell death. The accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins is in part due to an increase in the activation of the pathways that produce it. But how does tau become hyperphosphorylated and how do beta-amyloid pathways become activated? This is where insulin can be an answer.

Insulin in the Brain

Insulin regulates glucose metabolism. The brain requires a constant abundance of glucose as it is the most active part of our body and, thus requires a great amount of energy. As seen above, insulin controls glucose channels to allow glucose uptake by the cell. However, in the brain, the glucose receptors that allow glucose intake into most brain cells are independent of insulin. They do not need insulin to open up. So why does the brain need insulin?

Insulin appears to be important for the regulation of food consumption behavior and monitoring energy stores. Insulin is a strong neuroprotective agent that acts against apoptosis, -amyloid toxicity, and oxidative stress. Insulin contributes to the control of nutrient homeostasis, reproduction, cognition, and memory.

But, what happens if the body becomes resistant to insulin like in Type 2 Diabetes?

Insulin resistance (IR) induces the degradation of insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), a key enzyme for clearing -amyloid proteins. IR activates the MAPK signaling pathway (an important brain pathway) which stimulates the amyloidogenic pathway and inhibits the non-amyloidogenic pathway leading to the accumulation of -amyloid. These malfunctions together lead to the formation of amyloid- plaques.

Additionally, IR decreases the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Without this pathway being activated an enzyme called GSK3 is activated and phosphorylates tau. Another enzyme known as PP2A is inhibited by IR, which leads to tau phosphorylation. These two mechanisms combined instigate neurofibrillary tangles to form. A summary of these mechanisms is shown in figure 4.

Why should we care?

Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects millions of patients every year, and it’s not just the individuals with a diagnosis that are affected. Families, friends, nurses, doctors, administrators, and more are subjected to the hardships that come with AD.

If insulin resistance can be named as a risk factor for AD development, we can increase our arsenal of knowledge for how to decrease the severity of AD symptoms and push back the onset age.

But type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity. Obesity is concurrent to the overindulgence of unhealthy food and a low physical activity level. If obesity leads to insulin resistance, then obesity can lead to AD.

Image from: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet

Therefore, eating right and maintaining a steady level of physical activity to avoid gaining weight can also lessen your chances of developing AD pathology and symptomology. So, the next time you reach for your fifth candy bar of the day or bail on your third walk of the week, think about how your brain could turn into this:

References:

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.602360

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104707

https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/105828

Community/Disease/Health

Yes, it is that bad!

Posted on September 30, 2021 by / 0 Comment

It is alarming at this point the growth rate of neurodegenerative diseases, in both young and older people. Take Alzheimer’s Disease, for example, it is highly known for being related to aging but now knowing the underlined link it has type II diabetes the concern grows even bigger. Though largely targeting persons in mid-60s and beyond, various factors were contested as the potential causal factors including genetics, infections, age, etc. However, the actual cause is still unknown.

Senile Stock Photos & Royalty-Free Images | Depositphotos

It is the most common form of dementia and among the top ten leading causes of death in the United States.

The direct cause of Alzheimer’s is still unknown but various factors that contribute to several of its symptoms have been identified, which is very helpful in practicing prevention.

Symptoms

Amongst the most common symptoms of AD, including memory loss, confusion, mood fluctuation, and others. These symptoms were found to be largely caused by the impairment of insulin regulation, which further causes neuroinflammation that results in neurodegeneration in multiple regions of the CNS.

In the study reported by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers used a novel mouse model to understand the impact of insulin resistance in the occurrence of the symptoms above. This was done by blocking the expression of insulin receptors and related Insulin Growth Factor1, critical regions of the brain for learning, memory, and mood.

The regions targeted were the amygdala and the hippocampus, to study effects on glucose, anxiety, and cognition. The defects observed were largely related to the impaired expression of GluA1 NT.

In a review article, Insulin Signaling Pathway and Related Molecule, insulin resistance’s effect on AD is further explained to the way it causes neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Key players here include the GSK3-b which impacts positively in the formation of pro-inflammatory cytokinesis, such as IL-6, that bind to stress-activated cytokines, which inhibit the phosphorylation of tyrosine in IRS. This cause an impaired insulin regulation.(Akhtar, 2020)

What now?

Uffda! The point is, it is important that as a society we take major steps to practice preventative methods, to largely avoid risks of type II diabetes which has been shown to increase the risks of AD. This can be done by adopting a healthier diet, exercises, developing means to keep the brain active.

Alzheimer disease risk factor and prevention poster vector - 108974049

Moreover, there have to be better ways to develop means to accommodate those who have AD and ease them in that process. Help them with day-to-day activities, promote muscle memory (playing piano) keep reminders for their memory and help them keep in touch with their loved ones.

Caregivers need care too!

This attention is necessary as well to the caregivers of the people with AD. Given the contested symptoms that AD patients have, it is very frequent that they may get physical or really disrespectful to their caregivers. This can eventually take a toll on one’s mental health, and physical health, which makes it necessary to create a support system for caregivers to keep them grounded and feel appreciated.

Uncategorized

Alzheimer’s Disease Post

Posted on September 29, 2021 by / 0 Comment

There are many interesting scientific topics that can be very informative to the public. There are many that are worth learning about and one that the public should make an effort in learning more on are diseases that result in inhibition and blockage of receptors in the brain. One of these diseases is called Alzheimer’s Disease. According to the CDC, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common types of dementia that affects the parts of the brain that control thoughts, language, and memory [1]. The risk of Alzheimer’s increases with age with almost six million people living with Alzheimer’s as of 2020 [1]. So far, research on Alzheimer’s is currently ongoing with more information learned each day.

A recent study on Alzheimer’s was done by looking at how Insulin signaling pathways and other molecules affect the progression of Alzheimer’s in people. It was learned that Insulin pathways in the brain, normally controlling the clearance of amyloid Beta and tau metabolism, can be blocked by the presence of a repressor protein [2]. This blockage’s outcome is the development of resistance against Insulin, which would then lead to Alzheimer’s Disease.

However, there are ways that the body can prevent Alzheimer’s from occurring. There is more than one pathway that contains inhibition and activation enzymes occurring within the brain that influences the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. One pathway through Insulin signaling is with Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) presence. PI3K is a serine/threonine protein kinase that is responsible for the activation of Akt, an oncogene responsible for maintaining cellular functions like metabolism, transcription, protein synthesis, proliferation, growth and survival of neurons [2]. The activation of Akt would then lead to the phosphorylation inactivation of GSK-3 Beta, a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase with multiple signaling processes, such as insulin signaling pathways [2]. Since GSK-3 Beta is an important factor in Alzheimer’s development, it’s inhibition caused by PI3K is important. If GSK-3 Beta was not inhibited, this would lead to tau phosphorylation and increased assembly of amyloid plaques causing symptoms of dementia and cognitive impairment [2]. With all these steps in mind, this shows that PI3K is an important factor to stop the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

While these factors play a significant role in Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s can also be caused by factors in a person’s life that are not just medical. For example, traumatic or stressful events happening in a person’s life could increase their chances of getting Alzheimer’s [3]. Such events could include being fired from a job, divorce from a significant other, witnessing combat, declaring bankruptcy, and the death of a family member [3]. These factors show that an increase in anxiety levels or stress can lead to Alzheimer’s progressing at a faster rate. This is more evident in further studies on Alzheimer’s disease.

As depicted in the study, inhibition of insulin signaling pathways causing neurodegenerative processes linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s, and other diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s [3]. It would be very beneficial to learn more about how Alzheimer’s affects a person from both external factors that are in the form of stressful scenarios for the person and internal factors that are within the person’s body.