While it is fairly obvious that leaky brain can drive mental health conditions, it is less obvious that a mental health condition can cause leaky brain. Stress, and even stress hormones appear to be the primary culprits when it comes to mental disorders that attack the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) causing a Leaky Brain. In other words, managing your stress levels is key to preventing leaky brain, and trust me, you do not want a leaky brain, because like the leaky gut, a leaky brain causes problems. 

For example the vagus nerve coming from the brain initiates many important digestive functions such as stomach acid secretion for digesting foods and enzyme production for effectively utilizing the nutrients from the foods. It also triggers the gallbladder to store bile which is used in digesting fats. Finally it increases intestinal motility. In other words it makes it easier to poop.

The upshot of all of this is that if we have a leaky brain from having too much stress any one of these functions can be negatively affected. A good example might be that when we get really upset we can end up having diarrhea. 

In a nutshell, what we have here is a vicious cycle. Stress causes a leaky brain, a leaky brain causes mental, intellectual, and emotional disturbances. Mental, intellectual, and emotional disturbances cause stress. Stress causes a leaky brain…

In general, it is important not to ignore the signs of a Leaky Brain because you can improve, and in many cases even reverse it if you identify it early and address the cause. 

We also do not want a Leaky Brain no matter what the cause as it can result in all manner of mental, intellectual and emotional disturbances. The following is the short list.

• ADD/ADHD/Autism spectrum disorders

• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating

• Chronic fatigue that does not improve with rest or sleep

• Headaches or migraines that come on suddenly become worse with standing, and grow more severe as the day progresses

• Memory loss or another cognitive decline which may lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

• Mood disorders, particularly anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia

• Peripheral neuropathy or muscular sclerosis

• Seizures

There are also specific diseases that can cause a leaky brain. Here are a few examples:

• Multiple Sclerosis – makes nerves more susceptible to glutamate toxicity.

• Autism – More of a reciprocal relationship in that Autism can cause Leaky Brain and vice versa.

• Seizures & Epilepsy – Seizures interrupt BBB function, which can lead to more seizures and ultimately chronic epilepsy.

Tests for a Leaky Brain

If you worry that you may have leaky brain please make an appointment with an integrative health practitioner. There are several tests that such practitioners can use to help you determine whether or not and to what extent you may have a leaky brain:

• GABA-EEG – Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is a neurotransmitter. So, with the assistance of an EEG, the amount of GABA crossing the BBB (or the rate at which it crosses) can reveal the overall leakiness of the BBB

• Spectrophotometry and Optical Imaging – Albumin, a protein that circulates in the blood, cannot cross the BBB under healthy conditions. Evans Blue dye attaches to albumin so that if we see an accumulation of it we have evidence of leaky brain.

• MMP9 Level Evaluation – MMPs, are enzymes that break down the peptide bonds that hold proteins together. They contribute to BBB damage by breaking the tight junctions that maintain BBB integrity. Testing for high MMP in the blood can be an indication of Leaky Brain. As a preliminary treatment, the patient can begin taking an MMP inhibitor to limit BBB damage

• Genetic Testing – Genetic testing can reveal if someone is innately inclined to develop a Leaky Brain. Some people simply do not have tight junctions from birth to protect the brain.

• Occludin and Zonulin – Occludin and zonulin are two proteins that help determine both gut lining and blood-brain barrier permeability. When they are too high the body makes antibodies to fight them So we test for levels of them to determine whether we have leaky gut or leaky brain. There are additional ways to test for leaky gut or leaky brain which you can discuss with your integrated medicine practitioner.

Stay tuned for the final article in the series on how to reverse and or prevent leaky brain.