Survival of the Quietest: Do-it-Yourself Neuroprotection
Study of the hippocampus in depression provides greater understanding of why it is important for those with Central Pain to avoid stress. Yes, we know the title should read “Semi-survival” but “Survival” will have to do. We have already discussed peripheral nerve neuroprotection (see article on Calpain). This article discusses neuroprotection in the brain.
Brain “neuroprotection” is a big deal. It turns out that nerve cells, or neurons, must be maintained, serviced, and protected. The chemicals which do this come largely from the glia cells which surround the neurons. Although the field is so new that the terms do not yet have specific meaning, there is the realization that brain degenerative changes have to do with an entire, discrete system of nerve cell maintenance.
Pain itself is not simply a matter of unwanted signals. It is the matter of a maintenance program which cannot function. The production of pain exciters has become a “stuck on switch”, which means gene expression is not under proper control and pain exciters continue to pour out. This is disaster. This is Central Pain.
The neurons were not meant to so function and are themselves delicate structures. Evidence appears that there is massive cell death at first and steady cell death thereafter in some areas. The powerful depression that sets in may prevent the hippocampus from indexing the damage and providing proper maintenance. This makes avoidance of stress essential in CP, just as the NIH has stated. (see eg. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/central_pain/central_pain.htm
How the body is arranged to protect the neuron is just now beginning to be understood. However, the term, “neuroprotection” is now a buzz word, with EVERY drug company hoping to use the term to bolster the reputation of some drug.
REAL neuroprotection is still a ways off, since the field is so new. The claim for neuroprotection is already so wide, that it is amazing so little is actually known about it. Still, it is the next big thing. In its infancy, but full of promise, it is not unlike the Internet, back in the eighties, when the wise were beginning to register domain names. Every pharmaceutical firm wants to have a stake in the neuroprotection turf, and will soon claim one whether or not they actually can back it up. Herbs, health food supplements, and diets will soon be billed as “neuroprotective”. In the meantime, until they really know what they are talking about, CP patients must do their own neuroprotection, by keeping stress out of their lives. It is their only hope to make do with what is left of them.
Back in the days of the V-8 engine, it was not uncommon to see
August 25th, 2005 at 9:17 am #steve s
This darn website is so much work to read. I have to thread my way through all the scientific stuff. You would think I have some molecular disorder or something. Unfortunately, I do. Thanks for putting it out there for me. (Still exhausted from trying to understand).
Ed.Note: Welcome to the club. We could use an Einstein or two around here also.
December 31st, 2005 at 7:28 pm #Virginia
Too much to digest in one reading. But lots of food for thought, pardon the pun. I am feeling a certain amount of enlightenment from this on several levels. In the part about stress and avoidance of stress…7 months after my injury (Burst fx of the C1, significant traumatic brain injury, mild sci), I returned to work and at first, did pretty well on a part time schedule. So well, that my supervisor decided to change my job and give me one that was less physical (they thought) but still a very large job, managing an estate and staff and overseeing renovation and vendors. This turned out to be a very stressful job for me.
My speech therapist told me that giving me a job which involved my organizational skills was “the last thing you want to do to someone brain injured!” I informed my employer after two months of trying to do the job that I could no longer do it.
Later, more stress arrived at my doorstep with the arrival of a nephew to work on the ranch, one with a poor work ethic and a family full of problems. He is gone now…but the damage has been done.
My doctors scratch their heads and wonder why I was better six months post injury than I am now. This article seems to go a long way to possibly explaining this and seems like something at least my neurologist should know (after all, my speech therapist knew!). The stress of a new job, new work surroundings and new procedure, combined with severe stress from a poor choice for a worker, possibly robbed my brain of its plasticity. My speech therapist also told me that if I could have gone back to work doing my old job and with everything at work the way it was before I was injured (on the job), I would be 100% better off.
Thank you for this article. This is also helping me to understand the reasoning for my neuro having me take another neuropsych test. He is trying to find the place of injury, I’d suspect. And perhaps, as I’d thought, not just trying to prove “it’s all in my head.” Yes, it IS all in my head, but it’s biological and I’m beginning to understand as I read your essay. Thank you.