Serotonin plays just as much of a role in promoting adaptability as it does in emotion

Low serotonin states are characterized by ritualistic tendencies, perfectionism, and less openess to new ideas and experiences
Many low-serotonin individuals may still be highly successful at school or work, but without much emotional fulfillment from it

Low serotonin is also commonly seen in anxiety, depression, OCD, and autism, so it's common to experience inner stress despite appearing functional
This "functional depression" also seems to play a role in how suicidal tendencies go unnoticed

All that said, it's important to note that serotonin is NOT the end all be all of depression, and may not even be the primary underlying factor in most mental disorders
Other potential underlying imbalances include:

- skewed GABA/glutamate ratio
- neuroinflammation
- impaired neurogenesis
- methylation issues
- nutrient deficiency
- genetics

Some of these impact serotonin, or are downstream of its effects

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More from @ck_eternity_

22 Jun
REM sleep is characterized by little to no physical movement, but a higher level of mental activity

Non-REM sleep is characterized by more physical movement, but the least amount of mental activity experienced at any point during the day
REM sleep is the more "restful" of the two, and is governed by a variety of neurotransmitters including dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and especially acetylcholine

Lower levels of acetylcholine are seen during aging and seem to parallel decreased ability to enter REM sleep
Acetylcholine governs key aspects of learning, memory, and neuroplasticity, and lower levels of it are also why they implicated in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Dementia

Many neuroprotective herbs/supplements increase acetylcholine by inhibiting its breakdown
Read 4 tweets
18 Jun
The microbiome is a hologram overlaying a bacterial ecosystem
We've known for decades now that bacteria communicate using different light emission, and this is likely one of the purposes for which photoreceptors first evolved

As such, any large mass of bacteria is essentially a three dimensional web of organized light
On top of that, the light that sells emit is coherent light, essentially a laser, as light is captured, organized, and re-emitted by the nucleus

This light is produced as a byproduct of free radical decay, but the nucleus is essential for it to be concentrated enough to emit
Read 6 tweets
16 Jun
Frequency of alcohol consumption has as much of an impact on glutamate production as amount

Consuming 2-3 drinks every couple days will cause milder but more prolonged glutamate upregulation, while binging 10+ drinks once a month will cause severe but short term glutamate spikes
This is the main driver of alcohol tolerance over time

Since alcohol potently suppresses glutamate signalling (mimicking GABA), the brain over compensates with increased glutamate production

This is also what makes alcohol withdrawal directly neurotoxic with a seizure component
If you have an alcohol tolerance your glutamate production is at a higher than normal baseline

This often has a powerful negative impact on mental health, especially anxiety and depression

Alcohol consumption feels better short term, but accumulates toxicity over time
Read 6 tweets
9 Jun
Antibiotics are often given to cows by farmers to promote weight gain, as they rely on gut bacteria to clear carbs before absorption

We know antibiotic use has some association with low microbiome diversity in humans, could this contribute to obesity?
The caveat here is that ruminants rely on bacteria for digestion much more heavily than humans, getting most of their calories from short-chain fatty acids fermented from fiber in their stomachs

However, the link between antibiotic use and obesity does seem to carry over
This study found more than 1 antibiotic treatment in the first year or two of a child's life associated with higher obesity risk
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29359849/
Read 6 tweets
7 Jun
CHOLESTEROL AND HEART DISEASE

The last few months I've been researching cholesterol and heart disease extensively, including interviewing various experts in the field, in this thread I'll be summarizing my findings and opinions

THREAD //
Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I'm not here to debate anyone

This is a controversial subject in many ways, but I've approached this with an open mind and will be including studies to support my positions

If you disagree with me, that's fine, to each their own
I also will not be speaking on heart disease medications like statins

I think there are pros and cons of any drug/medication, and at this point I have not researched these drugs in enough depth to put out an opinion on their use

Now without further ado, let's jump right in
Read 42 tweets
6 Jun
Many people are aware that bacteria in the gut produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, which allow them to indirectly influence the nervous system

What's rarely discussed however is the fact that many bacteria also release free glutamate
Notably the bacteria responsible for gingivitis and periodontal disease can increase glutamate activity, they thrive on processed sugar consumption

In some cases this increase in glutamate signalling is indirect as a result of the release of endotoxins like LPS
LPS activates the TLR4 receptor in glial cells

TLR4 receptors mediate pain sensing and neuroinflammation through increased glutamate signalling and cytokine release
Read 4 tweets

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