The thinking mind, its monsters and allies; BDNF—Part two

In the previous post i introduced you to the Brain-Deriving Neurotrophic Factor also known as BDNF.

Its job is to keep alive existing neurons and makes it so that new ones get properly originated and differentiated.
The lack of BDNF makes us age faster, develop psychiatrical and neurological disorders such as depression, epilepsy, alzheimer's, schizophrenia and so forth and so on.
— Destrudo in The thinking mind, its monsters and allies; BDNF—Part one

It does not stop here though. The Brain-Deriving Neurotrophic Factor mediates and modulates our circadian rhythm which helps regulating sleep. By improving our BDNF levels our slow-wave sleep immensely (stage 3 and 4) both from an inductive standpoint and a persistence one.
And there are no limits to that; with a bit of luck, taking the perfect BDNF increase-inducing drug, you can sleep forever!

Image CC0 Creative Commons Photo Credits to
Cuncon on pixabay

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What more does it regulate?

What more does it regulate you ask?!? IT REGULATES YOUR THERMOSTAT, okay?!
Indirectly at least, because it increases our sense of wellbeing and reward, acting effectively as anti-depressant. It acts by mediating an increase in the monoaminergic systems with monoamines like serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline (Norepinephrine team sucks)

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Image CC0 Creative Commons Photo Credits to TeroVesalainen on pixabay

Weightloss. Low BDNF has been shown to be directly linked with eating disorders causing both overweightness and underweightness. BDNF induces appetite suppression or a sense of satiety that comes with a consequent weightloss by acting upon hypothalamic serotoninergic mechanisms. Serotonin infact acts as an appetite regulator. Ingestion of serotonin or drugs that release this neurotransmitters directly have an impact on the cravings for carbohydrate sources. The more serotonin is present the less is the perceived need for food. The more carbohydrates get consumed the more serotonin gets released (so, again, satiety is reached)

All these factors needless to say work synergistically. Sleep and diet are fundamental to have an healthy mind and less mental distress of any kind. Often mental illnesses end up disrupting these core aspects of our lives, leading us to a sad descent into an even worse state.

References:

• Slow Wave Sleep: Does it Matter?;
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824210/

• The BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism Modulates Sleep Intensity: EEG Frequency- and State-Specificity;
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3274334/

• Exploratory behavior, cortical BDNF expression, and sleep homeostasis;
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17326538/

• Antidepressant-Like Effect of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor;
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305796001694

• Decreased plasma BDNF level in depressive patients;
  https://www.jad-journal.com/article/S0165-03270600485-X/abstract

• Epigenetic mechanisms underlying the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in depression and response to antidepressants;
  https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dd0e/8ce130568dde1ba4d82e3b505afbe369ca5f.pdf

• Characteristics of BDNF-induced weight loss;
  http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.584.3436&rep=rep1&type=pdf

In this issue there it was part two. The whole topic will be composed by two more parts which will uncover both BDNF increasing and decreasing factors in the realms of nutrition, supplementation but also behavior.

Thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned for more.

Yours,

— Destrudo