Neurological Function and The Aging Process
Eric R. Braverman, MD

Your Unique BrainPrint™
    An MRI provides an excellent picture of what the brain looks like, and would certainly identify any anatomical abnormalities. But an MRI of a patient right before and right after death would be identical. For all intents and purposes, the patient would be just fine if making that determination based on a picture. The fact of the matter is, life is determined by brain function, which is beyond the capability of an MRI to assess.

    Each of us has a uniqueprofile consisting of every aspect of how the brain is working: brainwave bioelectrical function; attention, memory and IQ abilities; as well as psychological mood, personality, temperament, and type. Let’s take a closer look at the components of a battery of brain functionality tests:

    Studies repeatedly correlate the impact of a person’s psychological profile on treatment. The mind must be recruited when treating illness to ensure the fastest and best outcome. If a person is not organized and detail- oriented, there are added difficulties complying with complex instructions regarding exercise, diet, or pill-taking. Armed with this knowledge, steps can be taken with patients to truly heal.

    To the health-conscious person, how to prevent illness is just as important as how to treat it. A shift is already well under way from an illness/pharmaceutical/surgical paradigm to a wellness/natural/prevention one. Tests such as the P300 wave status that is part of the BEAM™ test are indispensable as a prevention tool. The P300 predicts Alzheimer’s by as much as 15 or 20 years, when there is still time to do something about it. The chart below represents the decline in brain memory function as we age.

Characteristics of WMS-III vs. Age

    These results were presented at the annual conference of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) this past September in Baltimore, MD.

    Before we discuss symptoms and treatments in more depth, let’s briefly review the history of brain anatomy and physiology to discover how brain-based treatment in the 21st Century came about.


The Studied Brain
    Two thousand years ago the ancient Greeks attributed all behavior to four temperaments, which they called Hot, Dry, Moist, and Cold. The Roman physician Galen attributed all symptoms and behaviors to four distinct bodily fluids, Phlegm, Yellow Bile, Black Bile, and Blood, which he called the humors. While these humors were not restricted to the brain, early observations that divided symptoms and behavior into four categories were remarkably intuitive relative to subsequent discoveries. In fact, the work of Hippocrates and Galen formed the foundation of medicine for 1500 years.

    With the painstaking work of neurological specialists since 1980, the final piece of the puzzle was put into place: the connection between brain chemistry and electricity, and the identification of four key measures of the functioning rain, attributed to specific brain lobes – voltage (frontal lobes), rhythm (temporal lobes), speed (parietal lobes), and symmetry (occipital lobes):

Voltage (Energy or Metabolism): Is the brain getting the necessary nutrients to function?

Rhythm (Calm): Are the four primary waves in balance?

Speed (Memory): How well is the brain processing information?

Symmetry (Mood): Are the left and right hemispheres functionally connected?

    We can use this knowledge to restore and maintain health.


Head-First Treatment
    Doctors are constantly amazed when they discover that a drug developed and used to treat one condition proves just as effective for another. Symptoms and illnesses we experience can be categorized into 'families', related to one of the four lobe-specific chemical neurotransmitters that represent the four distinct brain functions: energy, calm, speed, and mood. Not surprisingly, effective treatments can also be grouped into families that are symptom-specific to address brain chemical imbalances.

    Imbalances exist as either excesses or deficiencies of neurotransmitters. Excesses are rare, and they are responsible for severe psychiatric conditions such as paranoia, bipolar disorder, and somatoform disorder. These must be treated with psychotropic medications.

    The majority of symptoms we experience that cause us to seek medical attention are related to deficiencies of brain chemicals. These deficiencies exhibit themselves initially as mild symptoms that can be treated first with diet and nutritional supplements. Why? Because each of the neurotransmitters has a natural nutrient precursor: the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine are the raw material for dopamine; GABA comes from glutamine, another amino acid; the B vitamin choline is necessary for the production of acetylcholine; and the amino acid tryptophan is metabolized into serotonin.

Prescription Drugs: Pharmaceuticals are wonderful healing mechanisms – but they are not without their drawbacks. They can be totally ineffective, and finding the right dosages can be problematical.

    Using non-invasive office diagnostic tools, such as the BEAM™, physicians now can make treatment recommendations with far more assurance. Doctors at UCLA have recently published the results of a study using BEAM™ to assess the effectiveness of depression medications – after only 2 days of dosing. Standard protocol is assessment after 12 weeks! That’s quite a long time for someone to be using a powerful drug in his or her body that may be totally useless! Simple, non-invasive testing can not only assess medication effectiveness, it can direct the physician to the right 'family' of pharmaceuticals based on which brain lobe is primarily responsible for the patient’s condition.

    Ongoing symptoms and serious conditions require the intervention by an experienced physician. With the information presented in the next section, you can now use your brain to ask pointed questions about lobe-specific medications and hormones that will turn out to be most effective for particular patient complaints.

    With the information about natural nutrient supplements, you can treat the earliest, milder, symptoms yourself. Let’s take a closer look at how all of this knowledge can be put to good use for restoring and maintaining health.


Dopamine Deficiency
    Dopamine is the source of the brain’s power and energy. Symptoms, conditions, and treatments related to deficiencies in dopamine and its amino acid precursors, tyrosine and phenylalanine, are as follows:

• Fatigue, decreased libido, routine task difficulty:
  (frequency: morning) Tyrosine, dl Phenylalanine, Rhodiola rosea,
  L-Methionine, Octacosanol

• Low mood:
  (frequency: morning and afternoon) Tyrosine, dl-Phenylalanine, Rhodiola rosea, L-Methionine, Octacosanol

• Obesity, Parkinson’s:
  (frequency: 4 times daily) Tyrosine, dl-Phenylalanine, Rhodiola rosea, L-Methionine, Octocosanol

• Addictions:
  Vitamin C, Niacin, B-6, Folic Acid, B-12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium carbonate, Magnesium oxide, Zinc citrate, Copper gluconate, Manganese, Chromium, 5-hydroxytryptophan, dl-Phenylalanine, Lecithin, L-glutamine, L-tyrosine, Rhodiola rosea

    Hormonal Treatments:
(Physician should check for dosage/contraindications)

• Testosterone, Estrogen, DHEA, Thyroid

    Pharmaceutical Treatments:
(Physician should check for dosage/contraindications)

• Clonidine, Tenex, Wellbutrin, Tasmar, Tenuate, Dexedrine, Effexor, Provigil, Prelu

Symptoms related to loss of brain rhythm - Carbohydrate craving, trembling, twitching, hyperventilation, flushing, tachycardia, palpitations, sweating, cold or clammy hands, parasthesia, chest pain or discomfort, restlessness, blurred vision, tinnitus, abnormal sense of smell, abnormal odors, lump in throat, butterflies in stomach, unusual allergies

Conditions related to loss of brain rhythm - Anxiety, hypertension, cystitis, gastro-intestinal disorders, tinnitus, PMS, seizures, bi-polar disorder

Multi-modal treatments for a calmer brain -

    Natural Treatments:
      A complex-carbohydrate diet provides an excellent source of glutamine which the brain needs to keep itself calm. If supplemented with the appropriate nutrients, a natural approach for treating initial GABA deficiencies results:

• Carbohydrate craving: B-6, Calcium carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Chromium, 5hydroxytryptophan, L-carnitine, dl-Phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, L-glutamine, Rhodiola rosea

• Anxiety and anxious symptoms (which include trembling, twitching, palpitations, flushing, sweating, cold or clammy hands, irritable bowel, restlessness, lump in throat, butterflies in stomach), tinnitus, gastrointestinal disorders: (frequency: afternoon and evening) Inositol, GABA, Glycine

• Hypertension, mood swings: (frequency: afternoon and evening) Inositol, GABA, Glycine

• Bi-polar disorder: (frequency: morning, afternoon, evening) Inositol, GABA, Glycine

• Seizures: (frequency: four times daily) Inositol, GABA, Glycine

• PMS: Niacin, B-6, Folic Acid, B-12, Pantothenic acid, Calcium carbonate, Iron, Magnesium Oxide, Chromium,
  5-hydroxytryptophan, dl-Phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, L-glutamine, Rhodiola rosea

• Progesterone, Pregnenolone

            Pharmaceutical Treatments:
        (Physician should check for dosage/contraindications)

• Ambien, Topamax, Valium, Dilantin, Depakote, Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Phenobarbital, Mysoline

Acetylcholine Deficiency
    Acetylcholine is the source of brain’s ability to process and recall information quickly. Symptoms, conditions, and treatments related to acetylcholine, and its B-vitamin precursor choline, deficiencies appear below.

Symptoms related to loss of brain speed - Fat cravings, dry mouth, dry cough, memory dysfunction, difficulty concentrating

Conditions related to loss of brain speed - Senility, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis

Multi-modal treatments to improve brain memory -

    Natural Treatments:
     A choline-rich diet will help to produce the acetylcholine your brain needs to stay sharp. And, when properly supplemented with the right nutrients, the initial stages of acetylcholine-deficient conditions can be treated:

• Fat cravings: B6, Calcium carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Chromium, 5-hydroxytryptophan, L-carnitine, dl-Phenylalanine, L-tyrosine,
  L-glutamine, Rhodiola rosea

• Memory lapses, dry mouth, dry cough, difficulty concentrating: (frequency: morning) Huperzia serratea leaf extract, CDP Choline, Phosphatidyl Choline, N-acetyl L-carnitine

• Senility: (frequency: morning and afternoon) Huperzia serratea leaf extract, CDP Choline, Phosphatidyl Choline, N-acetyl L-carnitine

• Alzheimer’s: (frequency: morning and afternoon)) Huperzia serratea leaf extract, CDP Choline, Phosphatidyl Choline, N-acetyl L-carnitine

• Multiple Sclerosis: (frequency: morning and afternoon)) Inositol, GABA, Glycine, Huperzia serratea leaf extract, CDP Choline, Phosphatidyl Choline, N-acetyl L-carnitine

            Hormonal Treatments:
        (Physician should check for dosage/contraindications)

Symptoms related to loss of brain symmetry - Salt cravings, backache, headache, shortness of breath, choking, hypervigilance, sleep disorders

Conditions related to diminished mind-body connection - Insomnia, sleep disturbance, anorexia, bulimia, premature ejaculation, depression. obsessive-compulsive disorder

Multi-modal treatments to raise brain mood

   Natural Treatments:
      A tryptophan-rich diet will support your body’s production of serotonin, which your brain needs to restore its symetry and stabilize your mood. And when supplemented with appropriate nutrients, you can address initial serotonin deficiencies:

• Salt cravings: B-6, Calcium carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Chromium, 5-hydroxytryptophan, L-carnitine, dl-Phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, L-glutamine, Rhodiola rosea

• Backache, headache, shortness of breath, choking: (frequency: afternoon and evening) Thiamin, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, B-12, Pantothenic Acid, 5-hydroxytryptophan, St. John’s Wort

• Depression, anorexia, bulimia, premature ejaculation: (frequency: afternoon and evening) Thiamin, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, B-12, Pantothenic Acid, 5-hydroxytryptophan, St. John’s Wort

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: (frequency: morning and evening) Thiamin, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, B-12, Pantothenic Acid, 5-hydroxytryptophan, St. John’s Wort; evening and bedtime: Inositol, GABA, Glycine

• Sleep disorders: (frequency: evening and bedtime) Thiamin, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, B-12, Pantothenic Acid, 5-hydroxytryptophan, St. John’s Wort; bedtime: Melatonin, GABA, Inositol

            Hormonal Treatments:
        (Physician should check for dosage/contraindications)

    If you use your head, your precious health will be in your hands.


References
Blum K., Payne J., “Alcohol and the Addictive Brain.” New York, NY: The Free Press, 1991.

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