[Ronhutton]

Scientists in The University of Edinburgh have developed a method of detecting a leaky BBB in living people. See

http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/script...documentID=217

"We have developed a method of demonstrating leak into the brain from the blood stream using magnetic resonance imaging and an intravenous injection of magnetic dye. In a pilot project, we compared 10 patients with maturity onset diabetes (which is known to be associated with cognitive impairment but for unknown reasons) with 10 controls and found evidence of leak into the brain and fluid around the brain in diabetics. The leak was also most prominent in those with small holes scattered in the brain (infarcts). The leak was subtle and would not have been seen without sophisticated processing of the images."

They now plan to extend it to Alzheimers (if they can get funds!!)
With luck (and funds) we might be able to get a group of PD patients tested. I will write to them.
They finished the project in 2004, but it is not clear when this was published. Google alerts have only just flagged it up.
Ron

[pegleg]

I used to think this was far-fetched, but I now believe you are sniffing down the right trail.

Now, what can we (any or all of us do to get more attention to studies in this area? One of the first things I want to know is how did I get this leaky BBB???

Peg

[Ronhutton]

Hi Peg,
How could you ever doubt me!!!! LOL
Your BBB ages like the rest of you!!! Eventually lets things in that it shouldn't.
This is why it is generally. an old person's disease. So stay young!!
You can get a damaged BBB by a blow to the head (Muhammed Ali),
So don't go and challenge Mike Tyson to 10 rounds.
You can damage your BBB by any of the sustances I list, such as pesticides.
Prolonged stress can increase permeabilty. So keep singing "Why worry"!!
If we can just get the permeabilities of PWP measured and get some correlation with permeability v length of duration of disease, we will be getting siomewhere. I am in contact with another Professor who is an expert in the field, and he has promised to look into it.
The measurement could be as standard as getting your cholesterol measured. If you monitored permeability, it would give early warning as to how close you are to the threshold, above which you start to show PD symptoms.
Ron

[Ronhutton]

The other point we should not forget is damage to the BBB seems to be involved in other neurological diseases. In my post
http://www.pdonlineresearch.org/resp...ain-barrier-pd
I listed MS, ALS, AZ etc as diseases that all seem to involve BBB damage,
and research into this topic could kill several birds with one stone.
I came across today a paper which discusses MS as involving BBB damage, published as early as 1993, so the theory has been around for some time.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8...m&ordinalpos=7

The mechanism for the initiation of blood-brain barrier damage and intrathecal inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) is poorly understood. We have recently reported that levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) correlate with blood-brain barrier damage in patients with active MS

Ron

[Ronhutton]

A new Ph.D Thesis has been written on

"Systems Pharmacology and
Blood-Brain Barrier Functionality
in Parkinson's Disease"
See
https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bit...14/5/Front.pdf

It is at the University of Leiden in Holland.by Paulien Gerarda Maria Ravenstijn.
Unfortunately they don't show any of the work except for the contents, and even then, they say
"No part of this thesis may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without
written permission from the author."
The work was sponsored by Eli Lilly & Co Ltd. in Windlesham, United
Kingdom and the Department of Drug Disposition of Lilly Development Centre S.A. in Mont-
Saint-Guibert, Belgium.

I will try and get more information but it won't be easy, there is no contact information
Ron

[reverett123]

Note that the TNF-a referred to above is the same cytokine that is the villain in the activation of the microglia.

I suspect that inflammation is the Big Dog. It comes from multiple sources, including stress. It causes a variety of problems, including BBB failure.

I keep coming back to Ron's tooth. (Leave it to science, Ron.) The abscess was churning out chemicals that, in turn, triggered similar actions behind the BBB. Those cytokines disrupted his brain function while also making his BBB leak.

Here is an interesting wrinkle-
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0708181204.htm
"... supports the idea that toxic levels of amyloid beta protein, the substance scientists believe is responsible for Alzheimer's disease, accumulate in the brain because a pump that pushes it into the blood and past the blood-brain barrier malfunctions.

The blood-brain barrier is a system of cells that regulates the exchange of substances between the brain and the blood. The blood-brain barrier transporter known as LRP is the pump that removes amyloid beta protein from the brain and into the bloodstream.

"LRP malfunctions like a stop light stuck on red, and keeps amyloid beta protein trapped in the brain," said Banks, who also is a staff physician at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis."

[reverett123]

Ron-
from http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/n...-flow-to-heart

Jan. 22, 2009 -- Reducing the salt in your diet can help lower your blood pressure, but it may also lower your risk for having a heart attack or stroke in another important way.

Results from a new study suggest that eating a low-sodium diet can also help keep blood vessels working properly.

The study measured the impact of salt restriction on the endothelium, the thin layer of cells that line the interior of the blood vessels and help regulate blood flow.

Overweight and obese study participants with normal blood pressure who restricted the sodium in their diets showed evidence of improved endothelial function compared to participants who did not restrict salt.

The improvement appeared to be unrelated to the impact on blood pressure, suggesting that salt restriction is independently protective of blood vessel function.

"We found that if we reduced the salt in the diet, we saw a direct, positive impact on blood vessels," nutrition researcher and study co-author Jennifer B. Keogh, PhD, tells WebMD."

[Ronhutton]

Thanks Rick,
As a child, I was almost addicted to salt. I used to pour it on to my hand and eat it neat. I used to sprinkle it heavily on every meal. Any other salt addicts out there in their youth??
Ron

[lurkingforacure]

Me too, I even salt potato chips! Our young son likes to eat sea salt off a plate, mostly when he is sick with a cold. I don't know if he craves the salt because his body is telling him he needs it to help fight off the cold (remember how we all gargled with salt water as kids?) or because he craves the minerals in the sea salt. Seems to work, though, his cold usually goes away very quickly.

[reverett123]

Yep. Loved it. I was nuts for dill pickles and once the jar was empty would drink the salty brine.

Something to be considered is that the food additive MSG is a big source of sodium intake as well. If it opens the BBB and has the run of the place, that would be bad news.