Melatonin is my favorite molecule in the body, it regulates circadian rhythm, the immune system, and gene expression, and acts as a antioxidant within both cells and mitochondria
This is a collection of a few of my favorite studies on melatonin, specifically focused on endogenous function and production
Idebenone is an interesting quinone that may be useful in Parkinson's disease
It's an analog of CoQ10 (another quinone) but while CoQ10 binds to complex I to transfer electrons to complex III idebenone can bypass CI and move directly to CIII
It's also a membrane antioxidant
Complex I blockage is one of the main underlying drivers of Parkinson's disease
It creates metabolic issues in dopaminergic neurons and has been shown to to elevate neurotoxic dopamine wastes
The main downside is that idebenone does not unblock complex I itself
GDNF is a brain growth factor that regulates growth of various neurons, but is particularly targeted toward dopamine
It's considered promising for the treatment of addiction and Parkinson's disease
Let's look at a few ways to stimulate it
In addiction, things that increase dopamine have a tendency to increase GDNF in the short term while downregulating it during withdrawal
This is true for alcohol, nicotine, drugs, etc
The psychedelic ibogaine, used in addiction therapy, may work partially by increasing GDNF
I think in general neurogenesis tends to be downregulated in drug withdrawal and mental health disorders, and supporting it can help alleviate symptoms
GDNF also promotes differentiation of kidney and pancreas cells, and may regulate fertility in men
Beyond dopamine it also promotes development of noradrenergic, cholinergic, GABAergic, and motor neurons in certain brain regions
Brain normally runs on glucose (more than 50%), under cognitive exertion energy demands outpace oxygen availability and lactate shuttled into neurons from glia becomes the dominant energy source (50-60%)
Lactate also represents the point of "high cognitive load" and fatigue
I have a theory that a LOT of sleep issues in babies and young kids are a result of bright artificial light before bed and in the middle of the night (when nursing, etc)
I plan to avoid night-lights and artificial light at night with my children as much as possible
I think there's a spectrum to this, and I'd rather use a dim night-light than turn on overhead lights, but neither is ideal
Blue-light filtered bulbs could be used as well
There's a growing body of research that supports the idea that artificial light at night harms children
Sensitivity of the circadian system to evening bright light in preschool‐age children
This study found a ~90% drop in melatonin for 20-50 minutes after exposure to bright light in the evening, though they didn't use complete darkness afterward ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Black walnut is one of the most common ingredients in "candida cleanses" and blends meant to reverse SIBO
Similar to black seed oil, it also contains an active quinones, in this case the compound juglone, lawsone, and plumbagin
Quinones are pro-oxidants that break down biofilms and have toxic effects on pathogens, while promoting antioxidant pathways and chelating heavy metals in humans and higher animals
Thymoquinone, juglone, and other quinones all cross the blood brain barrier
They break down amyloid and tau aggregates in animal models of Alzheimer's, likely through their intercalation into the protein, and the removal of free iron and copper that trigger aggregation
I believe quinones are our best bet at beating neurodegeneration as they target it at multiple levels:
- reducing gut dysbiosis and killing endotoxin-producing bacteria
- stimulating endogenous antioxidant release via the Nrf2 pathway
- by crossing the blood brain barrier and binding and removing free iron
- by shifting NAD+/NADH ratio through activating the NQO1 enzyme
How a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in food can help balance blood glucose, prevent insulin resistance, and help manage PCOS, anxiety, depression, and OCD
Benefits, dosing, and more
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Inositol is a simple sugar, like glucose, lactose, galactose, etc
It's one of the most ancient molecules in biology, and as such it plays a role in signaling and structure
It can be converted to phosphatidyl-inositol and used as a component of membranes
We make around 4g inositol per day, and a diet with plenty of fruit/plants/dairy will provide +1g
Around 2g inositol is synthesized from glucose by the kidneys, while other tissues like the liver also make it
The brain has the highest concentration of any organ