shoring up the blood brain barrier

[bronxmom2]

Many people have discussed how stress and fear seem to trigger breaches in the BBB... which makes a lot of sense.

 

Have you noticed other triggers? My son has always seemed bizarrely, physically, neurologically intolerant of excitement. I mean overexcitable in the EXTREME... he goes completely and utterly insane when excited.

 

For many years I tried to understand this in terms of giftedness... the gifted world has this theory of OEs (overexcitabilities) (there are five-- psychomotor, sensual, emotional, intellectual, and imaginational) which has been fairly helpful in understanding what drives my son's behavior. Up to a point.

 

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/gifted101/a/overexcite.htm

 

I know that many of my friends/family have judged me for my instinct to remove him from situations that he obviously cannot handle-- the list of which now includes school-- but as I look at the situation now in terms of his overall health, I think I was right.

 

I want my husband to better understand the role of the blood brain barrier in my son's behavioral and psychological problems.

My husband yells, teases, and provokes him way too much, and thinks I coddle him.

 

Also, I know this has been discussed before... but what can we do to shore up the BBB?

 

I'm starting to think that is the key to preserving the effects of PEX/IVIG.

[dcmom]

I agree Bronxmom 2! I am desperately trying to figure out what to do....

 

Are you going next week? PEX or IVIG?

[bronxmom2]

I agree Bronxmom 2! I am desperately trying to figure out what to do....

 

Are you going next week? PEX or IVIG?

 

 

Yeah, next week... for PEX.

 

I have some questions for you, but I don't want to overwhelm you. I think I'll send you a pm with my phone number.

[smartyjones]

okay - sorry - i do realize i shouldn't really be posting on these technical issues but sometimes can't help myself -

 

i can't really wrap my brain around the BBB - what is it? membranes, fluid, nerve tissue, some other tissue?

[Iowamom]

okay - sorry - i do realize i shouldn't really be posting on these technical issues but sometimes can't help myself -

 

i can't really wrap my brain around the BBB - what is it? membranes, fluid, nerve tissue, some other tissue?

 

I'll share the LITTLE I know about the BBB. Your head/brain is filled with a mesh of capillaries. Take the 'brain' away and you would see this brain-shaped mesh of blood vessels. The inside of these capillaries is lined with special epithelial cells. (The outside of the vessels have astrocytes connected to it which (I believe) receives/relays back that which passes back & forth through the BBB ). There are epithelial cells elsewhere in the body's vessels, but these are unique to the blood vessels of the brain. Very simple in explanation, the cells form a very tight bond. There are certain "stuff" that is suppose to go in and out of the blood, to the brain, through these cells that line the vessels, e.g. water, medicines, good nutrients. It is designed to keep the wrong stuff out. It is designed so intricately that substances (obviously, at the molecular level) "know" exactly where to get through e.g., through the tight junctures or through the cell membrane, or by hitching a ride on another substance.

 

Check out an image by googling. It is very fascinating.

 

Not to open a can of worms or an argument---has it even been proven that the autoantibodies breach the BBB because of there being damaged in some way. I have read (somewhere) that there are a few (maybe 3, I'm think I remember) modes of breaching the BBB. Another way is by piggybacking. The wrong stuff hitches a ride on a substance that can get through. Some drugs have to get to the brain that way. I am thinking that "breach" does not need to mean like a break in the levy. Undercover is a possibility, too. Figure out the BBB issue and many different brain diseases could be conquered. Maybe someone else can shed additional light and also correct any erroneous parts of BBB explanation.

 

Dawn

[mom md]

This may be way off...but in obstetrics and early fetal development when a mother has an intrauterine infection like chorioamnionitis, the endotoxins of the bacteria increases cytokines and that process breaks down the BBB and can lead to neurological issues like infections and CP. May not have anything to due with PANDAS but I thought I would mention it.