Brain dysfunction can arise from different types of injuries, the most common ones including Traumatic Brain Injuries and exposure to neurotoxins.

In some cases, brain dysfunction might persist for long periods of time, sometimes taking years to resolve, or even in some cases, does not resolve at all.

Can certain types of brain dysfunction be treated with potent neurotoxins?

This hypothesis stems from the idea that neurotoxins, when administered in low doses, activate protection mechanisms that not only improve the cell's resistance to higher doses of themselves (provide long-term protection), but also activate repair mechanisms that can heal damage done to the cell in the past. The idea is that since low doses work the opposite way from high doses, they can stimulate repair mechanisms that are inhibited when the toxin is administered in high doses.

This concept is based on the basic principles of Hormesis.

A few examples of Hormesis occurring with low doses of neurotoxins:

* Administration of low dose methamphetamine 12 hours after a severe traumatic brain injury prevents neurological dysfunction and cognitive impairment in rats (2013)


* Pretreatment of neurons with a low concentration of Glutamate can protect them from being damaged by a higher concentration of Glutamate (2007) (Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter which is toxic in high concentrations - it is responsible for a big part of the neuron death that may occur after a TBI)


* Neurohormetic phytochemicals: Low-dose toxins that induce adaptive neuronal stress responses (2006)

Due to the massive potential of Hormesis in the area of treating persistent brain dysfunction, more studies should be done about Hormesis in this area and in general in order to make medicine more advanced in this area and in general.

What is your opinion about this hypothesis?

I don't think this concept will make a difference. The primary problem is proximity to the time of injury. Many who suffer a concussion do not experience symptoms that cause enough concern to seek these treatments within the effective time.

There are a number of treatments that show benefit in reducing concussion symptoms but the effective window for administering them is too limiting.

High dose fish oil has shown promise when administered early.

Of course - early treatment results in the best results.

Isn't most of the damage done by Glutamate? From what I read, a concussion makes all the pre-synaptic neurons dump their neurotransmitters into the synapses, and that specifically leads to an accumulation of Glutamate in certain synapses - this Glutamate later increases calcium ion influx into the neurons, which causes over-excitation that eventually leads to neuron death. Am I right in this, or there are more mechanisms for damage after a TBI?

While I understand that neuron death is responsible for a certain part of the damage done after a TBI, it is said that damage to the axons (connections between neurons) is actually worse and that is what causes most damage, and axonal damage is actually reversible in many cases, if I'm not wrong.

So, while early treatment leads to the best results, can't a treatment given later also aid the brain in healing? The brain keeps healing for months/years after the initial injury, which makes me think that we can administer low doses of neurotoxins to activate repair mechanisms that help the brain recover from the consequences of the neurotoxicity after a TBI.

I know using neurotoxins to heal damage sounds very weird, but read about Hormesis - it's fascinating and that's why I think low doses of neurotoxins can aid in the healing process.

You are mixing up two different mechanisms of action. Slowing or reducing damage vs effecting healing of that damage.

The early administration of the substance prevents or slows the cascade of damage. But, if that cascade of damage is not slowed, then that damage spreads and the injury is more intense.

You mention a lot of technical details. One of the concerns you missed is damage to the glymph system. Like the myelin sheath, the glymph system needs to heal. It clears the toxins just like the lymph system does in the rest of the body. It is thought to be slow to heal just like the myelin sheath.

That slow healing would suggest a reason for our brains being so hyper sensitive to stress.