Utsikt
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
That’s even more depressing coming from a researcher!
News From Jarred Younger / Neuroinflammation, Pain, and Fatigue Laboratory at UAB, From Aug 2020
- Thread starter wigglethemouse
- Start date
Cort Johnson article
Jarred Younger Finds a VERY Inflamed Brain in ME/CFS - Health Rising
“We’re seeing things in the front of the brain, we’re seeing issues in the back of the brain, we’re seeing a lot of things in between…this is a brain-wide issue”. It’s safe to say that the ME/CFS brain is an inflamed brain.” Jarred Younger Jarred Younger couldn’t resist. He’s usually […]
www.healthrising.org
This part is not unique to ME/CFS though. Do a quick google search for Alzheimer’s or MS and there are dozens of non-bogus, but likely overhyped articles on treatments, biomarkers, preventative steps to take, etc. (This week Alzheimer’s seems to be caused by low lithium levels, etc).
ChronicallyOverIt
Established Member (Voting Rights)
I don’t even know what to say we’re now taking a 5 minute video of an unsubstantiated claim running it through LLMs and reporting it as news .Cort Johnson article
Jarred Younger Finds a VERY Inflamed Brain in ME/CFS - Health Rising
“We’re seeing things in the front of the brain, we’re seeing issues in the back of the brain, we’re seeing a lot of things in between…this is a brain-wide issue”. It’s safe to say that the ME/CFS brain is an inflamed brain.” Jarred Younger Jarred Younger couldn’t resist. He’s usually […]www.healthrising.org
It’s like a game of telephone….
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Yeah some of Cort’s reporting strikes me a bit like, “What if every biological claim a researcher made about ME was true at once”
ChronicallyOverIt
Established Member (Voting Rights)
The thing is though Jared presents himself as a beacon of truth for ME/CFS. He constantly breaks down other studies for scientific rigour, i.e. he ripped apart the rapamycin study. It’s a bit different than a tabloid presenting “the cure to Alzheimer’s”.
He has a small niche audience that looks to him for scientific opinions; that he’s built trust with by presenting fact. It’s sad he can’t keep his own research to the same level. I guess everyone has rose coloured glasses with their own work, I certainly do as well.
Utsikt
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Cort argues that they’ll share anything that might help anyone, but apparently believe that everything can be helpful, so anything goes. It becomes a very nice platform for less rigorous researchers and practitioners, and the positive spins on everything can be temporarily uplifting for some readers.
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Also potentially harmful when the claims make it into advocacy, and people start trialing whatever drugs he promotes this week.
I remember I stopped reading him when he was promoting a study that said coffee reduces fatigue. Seemed off mark and a bit tone deaf to severity.
Wyva
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I remember his blog was posted in my group a few times, recommended as "the best source about ME/CFS you can find". Not very recently though. I wish S4ME had the same appeal to people. It would make my job a lot easier in my group if there were some more well-informed, science-oriented people, because explaining things and arguing alone all the time about overstated claims really kills my energy.
Utsikt
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I feel you. I’ve given up on discussing research anywhere else for those reasons..
I guess the question is, is the source of the inflammation, is it coming from outside the brain or inside the brain
* Latent virus in the brain triggering something
* AAB from outside crossing the BBB (unlikely as they are huge proteins), from the CNS into CSF etc
Etc etc. Think it's beyond doubt there is brain inflammation since patients all complain of the horrible inflammed head feeling, it's basically my worst symptom. Feels like there's something in my head and the horrible pressure.
* Latent virus in the brain triggering something
* AAB from outside crossing the BBB (unlikely as they are huge proteins), from the CNS into CSF etc
Etc etc. Think it's beyond doubt there is brain inflammation since patients all complain of the horrible inflammed head feeling, it's basically my worst symptom. Feels like there's something in my head and the horrible pressure.
Attachments
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I don’t think that feeling is necessarily equivalent to literal inflammation, ie. blood vessels dilating.
In fact our evidence for inflammation as traditionally defined in the brain of pwME is very low.
That's true.
I often wonder is it actual microglia killing our own neurons for no reason, or is it a lack of blood flow. For me, at night, my BP naturally pumps harder and the feeling goes away somewhat. I also know coffee makes it go away. So it could well be lack of blood flow, which ties in nicely with the AAB theories (to B2ADRs, GPCRs etc).
Also Davis thinks it's the itaconate shunting cells burning amino acids instead of glucose and producing toxic ammonia that causes the brain symptoms.
I think most doctors globally will agree that there is no evidence for inflammation in ME/CFS and extremely sensible arguments have put forward why that is the case, see for instance
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
hahahha I like that theory just because I can imagine it well.
Like fish sitting in a tank with a blocked filter.
That's good, as it ties in with how the (auto) antibodies restrict blood flow at least.I think most doctors globally will agree that there is no evidence for inflammation in ME/CFS and extremely sensible arguments have put forward why that is the case, see for instance
Empirically, when I take my espresso, I feel my heart pumping faster and harder, and that heavy headed pressure in my brain/behind my eyes/heavy eyelid feeling goes away for a couple hours.
Just that the evidence very consistently suggests that there aren't any specific elevated antibodies in ME/CFS.