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Glucose and Neuroinflammation

Glucose and Neuroinflammation

Glucose and Hypometabolism

Cerebral glucose hypometabolism refers to a reduction in the brain’s ability to metabolize glucose, the primary source of neuronal energy. Because neurons have limited capacity for energy storage, consistent glucose supply is essential for proper cognitive, emotional, and behavioral function. When metabolism slows, neurons become less active, leading to impaired neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and overall brain performance — even before structural damage occurs.

🔬 Pathophysiology

Glucose metabolism in the brain occurs primarily through aerobic glycolysis, producing ATP to fuel neuronal signaling. When this process falters — whether due to mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, insulin resistance, or oxidative stress — regions of the brain exhibit hypometabolism on FDG-PET (fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography) scans.

Mechanisms contributing to cerebral hypometabolism include:

  • Mitochondrial dysfunction: decreased ATP synthesis impairs neuronal signaling.
  • Neuroinflammation: cytokines disrupt insulin and glucose pathways.
  • Brain insulin resistance: glucose uptake is blunted despite normal peripheral insulin levels.
  • Oxidative stress: damages neuronal membranes and enzymes critical for metabolism.

🧩 Clinical Correlations

Cerebral glucose hypometabolism is observed across neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, with distinct regional patterns:

Condition Commonly Affected Regions Clinical Correlates
Alzheimer’s Disease Posterior cingulate, parietotemporal cortex Early memory loss and executive dysfunction
Frontotemporal Dementia Frontal and anterior temporal lobes Behavioral disinhibition, apathy
Major Depressive Disorder Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate Impaired concentration, emotional regulation
Schizophrenia Frontal and temporal regions Executive dysfunction, cognitive impairment
Bipolar Disorder Frontal, limbic circuits Mood instability, impulsivity
Traumatic Brain Injury Site-specific Cognitive slowing, emotional dysregulation

In psychiatry, hypometabolism often reflects neural circuit inefficiency rather than cell loss. For instance, decreased glucose utilization in the prefrontal cortex may explain poor emotional regulation in depression or executive dysfunction in schizophrenia.

⚕️ Integrative and Metabolic Psychiatry Perspective

At CareSync Psych, cerebral glucose hypometabolism underscores the mind-body connection — illustrating how metabolic and psychiatric processes intertwine. Emerging research links metabolic dysfunction (e.g., insulin resistance, obesity, chronic inflammation) with neuropsychiatric symptoms, suggesting that improving systemic metabolism may also enhance brain energy and mood stability.

Therapeutic approaches that can help restore cerebral metabolism include:

  • Lifestyle interventions: balanced nutrition, exercise, restorative sleep.
  • Nutritional psychiatry: ketogenic or low-glycemic diets supplying ketones as alternate brain fuel.
  • Pharmacologic supports: metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and mitochondrial antioxidants (e.g., CoQ10).
  • Psychotherapy and mindfulness: reducing stress-driven cortisol spikes that impair glucose utilization.

🌿 Clinical Implications and Future Directions

  • FDG-PET imaging remains the gold standard to detect regional hypometabolism.
  • Metabolic psychiatry is reframing depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline as partly bioenergetic disorders.
  • Addressing glucose dysregulation early may prevent progression of cognitive and emotional disorders.
  • Future research aims to integrate metabolic biomarkers into psychiatric diagnostics and personalized treatment plans.

🧾 References (APA 7th Edition)

  • Butterfield, D. A., & Halliwell, B. (2019). Oxidative stress, dysfunctional glucose metabolism, and Alzheimer disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 20(3), 148–160. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-019-0132-6
  • Cunnane, S. C., Trushina, E., Morland, C., Prigione, A., Casadesus, G., Andrews, Z. B., … & Mattson, M. P. (2020). Brain energy rescue: An emerging therapeutic concept for neurodegenerative disorders of ageing. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 19(9), 609–633. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-020-0072-x
  • Mosconi, L., Berti, V., Glodzik, L., Pupi, A., De Santi, S., & de Leon, M. J. (2010). Pre-clinical detection of Alzheimer’s disease using FDG-PET, with or without amyloid imaging. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 20(3), 843–854. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-2010-091504
  • Rasgon, N. L., & McEwen, B. S. (2016). Insulin resistance—a missing link no more. Molecular Psychiatry, 21(12), 1648–1652. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2016.163
  • Tomasi, D., & Volkow, N. D. (2019). Associations between brain activation, glucose metabolism, and psychiatric symptoms in major depressive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 24(12), 1672–1680. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0262-9
  • Zhang, X., Chen, W., Li, J., Zhang, Y., & Xu, Y. (2021). Brain glucose hypometabolism and psychiatric disorders: A review of mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 700–714. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.700714

Food Addiction: Why It’s Real, Why We Feel Out of Control, and How Healing Begins

Food Addiction Treatment in Lakeland, Florida. Both in- person or telehealth appointments available for the state of Florida.

Many people struggling with food addiction describe a painful cycle: intense cravings, loss of control, guilt, and a promise to “do better tomorrow.” Yet this cycle isn’t simply about willpower. Research now shows that for some individuals, food addiction is a valid neurobiological and psychological condition—one that deserves understanding and compassionate, evidence-based treatment.

At CareSync Psych, we help patients recognize that food addiction is not a moral failure—it’s a complex interaction between the brain, body, and emotional regulation systems.

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Is Food Addiction Real?

The concept of “food addiction” has been debated for years. However, growing evidence supports that highly palatable foods—especially those rich in sugar, fat, and salt—can activate the same neural reward pathways as drugs of abuse.

 

    • According to Gordon et al. (2018), a systematic review and found strong evidence linking addictive-like eating patterns to the dopamine-driven reward system seen in substance use disorders.
    • Fletcher & Kenny (2018) concluded that food addiction shares behavioral, neurochemical, and genetic overlaps with traditional addictions.
    • Davis (2013) also discussed that binge eating disorder (BED) and food addiction share common features such as loss of control, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms.

 

In other words, the brain can become “hooked” on certain foods in much the same way it becomes hooked on drugs—especially ultra-processed foods that hijack our reward system.

 

 

The Brain–Body Mechanisms Behind Food Addiction

 

1. Dopamine Dysregulation in Food Addiction

When we eat hyperpalatable foods, the brain releases a surge of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens—the same reward area activated by drugs like cocaine or opioids. Over time, the brain may require more of that stimulus to achieve the same pleasure, leading to cravings and compulsive eating.

 

2. Stress and Cortisol‘

Chronic stress triggers cortisol, increasing appetite and preference for “comfort foods.” This stress-eating loop reinforces emotional dependency on food as a coping mechanism.

 

3. Insulin and Leptin Resistance

Biological changes in metabolism, especially insulin resistance, blunt hunger and satiety cues, making it harder to regulate intake. The body craves quick energy even when it doesn’t need it.

 

4. Gut–Brain Axis

Emerging evidence suggests gut microbiome imbalances can alter neurotransmitter production and cravings—linking digestion, emotion, and appetite regulation in a powerful feedback loop.

 

 

The Emotional and Mental Health Connection

Food addiction rarely exists in isolation. It’s often intertwined with anxiety, depression, trauma, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

 

    • Many people use food for emotional regulation—to numb, soothe, or escape discomfort.
    • Feelings of shame and guilt after overeating can trigger further stress, fueling another cycle of bingeing.
    • Early life adversity and attachment disruptions may increase vulnerability by altering stress responses and reward sensitivity.

 

As Davis (2013) describes, these overlapping mechanisms mean that treating food addiction requires addressing both biological and psychological roots.

 

 

Why We Feel “Out of Control” & Why Food Addiction is Real

When people say, “I know I shouldn’t eat it, but I can’t stop myself,” they are describing the very essence of addiction—a disconnect between intention and behavior. This sense of loss of control comes from changes in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for decision-making and impulse control.

Repeated exposure to addictive foods dulls this region’s inhibitory capacity, while the limbic system (reward/emotion) becomes more dominant. The result: even when we consciously want to stop, our neurobiology keeps pushing us toward the next “fix.”

 

 

Healing Through Understanding and Integration

At CareSync Psych, we approach food addiction through the lens of metabolic psychiatry and compassionate behavioral therapy. Healing begins by syncing the mind and body.

 

Our approach includes:

 

    • Psychotherapy and Mindfulness-Based Interventions to explore emotional triggers, perfectionism, and shame.
    • Metabolic and Nutritional Assessment to stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and restore neurotransmitter balance.
    • Medication-Assisted and Supplement Support (when indicated) targeting dopamine or serotonin pathways.
    • Lifestyle and Behavioral Strategies including stress management, movement, and restorative sleep to reset the body’s reward systems.

 

Home

Recovery isn’t about deprivation—it’s about reclaiming control, reconnecting with internal hunger and fullness cues, and healing the relationship with both food and self.

 

 

The Takeaway

Food addiction is not a weakness—it’s a neurobiological reality rooted in survival mechanisms that have been hijacked by modern food environments. Understanding it as both a mental health and metabolic issue allows for deeper compassion and more effective treatment.

At CareSync Psych, we believe recovery begins when you stop blaming yourself and start treating both your brain chemistry and emotional wounds together—because healing happens when mind and body finally sync.

 

📖 References

 

 

 

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The Impact of Diet and Metabolic Health on Mental Health: Revolutionary Treatment Approaches

The Impact of Diet and Metabolic Health on Mental Health: Revolutionary Treatment Approaches

For decades, psychiatry has focused heavily on neurotransmitters—serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine—as the “big three” of mental health. But new science is showing that the mind is not separate from the body. Instead, our mental health is tightly linked with our diet, metabolism, and even the way our mitochondria produce energy. This growing field—metabolic psychiatry—is reshaping how we understand and treat conditions like depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders.

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The Metabolic–Mental Health Connection

Research has uncovered a bidirectional relationship between depression and metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance. In a groundbreaking Mendelian randomization study, Zhang et al. (2021) demonstrated that not only does metabolic syndrome increase the risk of depression, but depression itself may worsen metabolic health—creating a vicious cycle that traps patients in both poor physical and mental health.

This finding highlights an important truth: when we treat the body, we treat the brain, and when we treat the brain, we treat the body.

The Role of Mitochondria and Tryptophan Pathways

Our mental state depends on how well our brain cells produce and use energy. Mitochondrial impairment—the reduced ability of cells’ “powerhouses” to generate energy—has emerged as a common factor in psychiatric disorders. Tanaka et al. (2022) emphasize the link between dysfunctional mitochondria and disturbances in the tryptophan–kynurenine pathway, which regulates serotonin and neuroprotective metabolites. When this pathway is imbalanced, patients may experience both mood disorders and cognitive changes.

This suggests that psychiatric symptoms are not just “chemical imbalances” but may also reflect underlying metabolic and cellular dysfunction.

Diet as a Foundation for Mental Health

Dietary patterns directly influence brain health. Diets high in refined sugars and processed foods can promote inflammation, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial stress—all of which worsen depression and anxiety. Conversely, nutrient-dense diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber, and amino acids like tryptophan can support healthier brain signaling and energy metabolism.

Examples include:

  • Mediterranean-style diets, associated with reduced depression risk.

  • Ketogenic or low-carbohydrate approaches, which stabilize insulin and may improve treatment-resistant mood disorders.

  • Anti-inflammatory foods (leafy greens, fatty fish, berries), which reduce oxidative stress on the brain.

Revolutionary Treatment Approaches in Metabolic Psychiatry

What makes this field revolutionary is that it goes beyond traditional antidepressants by addressing root causes in metabolism. Innovative strategies include:

  1. Metabolic Medications with Psychiatric Impact

    • Drugs like metformin (used for diabetes) are being studied for depression in insulin-resistant patients.

    • GLP-1 receptor agonists (like semaglutide) may also reduce both metabolic burden and depressive symptoms.

  2. Targeting Mitochondria

    • Nutritional supplements such as CoQ10, NAD+ precursors, and certain amino acids may support mitochondrial resilience.

    • Therapies that restore mitochondrial function could improve both mood and cognition.

  3. Diet-Based Interventions

    • Structured programs integrating dietary counseling into psychiatric care are being tested to break the depression–metabolic syndrome cycle.

  4. Integrated Care Models

    • Combining psychiatric and metabolic treatments into holistic, whole-person care may offer the most promise. Patients with depression, obesity, and metabolic syndrome benefit most when both aspects are treated together rather than separately.

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A New Horizon: Treating the Whole Person

The future of psychiatry lies in seeing mental health through the lens of metabolic health. Instead of separating “brain” and “body,” metabolic psychiatry brings them together, creating space for innovative therapies that restore balance at the cellular and systemic level.

By focusing on diet, metabolism, and mitochondrial health, we move toward revolutionary treatment approaches that sync the mind and body, ultimately offering hope for patients who haven’t found relief through traditional psychiatric care.

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