The role of BDNF in getting better Qualit... - Cure Parkinson's

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The role of BDNF in getting better Quality of Life with Parkinson's

pdpatient profile image
10 Replies

Moderate intensity walking can help us improve our lives.

The good news is that the walking doesn't have to be very intense. You don't have to go bonkers trying to get the benefit.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/290...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

If you don't want to walk or not able to, there's other options for increasing your BDNF through other means including a delicious way (see bonus)

psychologytoday.com/us/blog...

the-scientist.com/features/...

Bonus /

strongcoffeecompany.com/blo...

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pdpatient
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JohnPepper profile image
JohnPepper

I do not argue with anything that is said about BDNF, it is all correct. However, the cause of Pd. is a shortage of DOPAMINE in the substantia Nigra area of the brain, which I think (I am not a scientist) controls the movements we make without having to think about what we are doing. When we walk or write or bring food to our mouth, we are not thinking about what our legs and arms are doing! So, if there is not enough dopamine, nothing works properly.

There is another similar GROWTH FACTOR that deals with that specific problem and that is called GDNF. That stands for GLIAL DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR. Glial cells control the production of dopamine, so if those glial cells are being killed off by Pd. which I think they are, then we should be doing something to cause the production of more GDNF.

I have been talking about GDNF for over 25 years but nobody else talks about it. I wonder why that is? In 2003 a study was carried out in the Frenchay Hospital in England, in which they artificially inserted man-made GDNF directly into the brains of six patients. The result was that ALL SIX PATIENTS GOT A GREAT DEAL BETTER! That proves to me that GDNF is what we need to be naturally producing a lot more, if we can.

I had been doing a lot of exercise for 23 years before I was diagnosed and I increased that exercise by 50% over the next two years, but my symptoms continued to get worse, far quicker than they had in the previous 29 years since the first symptom had showed its ugly head. From this it could appear that exercise is no good for Pd. That would be a reasonable assumption. So, what did I do at that point? I stopped exercising for the next three months.

Then something serendipity happened! My late wife had been taking part, over those previous two years, in a program to get fit by WALKING AS FAST AS WE CAN FOR A MAXIMUM OF ONE HOUR, THREE TIMES A WEEK.! Each person taking part was encouraged to see how much faster they could walk each month, when they did a time trial.

She lost 14 Kgs in weight and, just as importantly, she came off her blood pressure and antidepressant pills, which she had been taking for MANY YEARS!

She begged me to join them and I said I had been doing 20 minutes walking a day on a treadmill, every day, for the past two years and it had done NOTHING FOR ME! But I loved her and just to please her, I joined that group. Within four months I was already walking for an hour, every second day and my time had improved from over 10 and a half minutes per K down to less than 9 minutes per K. What is more, I noticed an improvement in my state of mind and my general health. After 8 years, I had come off my Pd. medication and was a different man.

WHY DO WE NOT HEAR ANYTYHING ABOUT GDNF SINCE THAT TRIAL IN ENGLAND?

WHY DID WE NOT DO ANY TRIALS TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET THE BODY TO PRODUCE MORE GDNF NATURALLY?

I can't help thinking that if the body can be persuaded to produce more natural GDNF, which I personally believe it can, then a lot more people will get better and not need any further medication. THERE IS THE RUB! THAT WILL NOT BE GOOD NEWS FOR BIG PHARMA OR NEUROLOGISTS!

I HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE POSITION AS HEAD OF OUR NATIONAL PD ASSOCIATION AND CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE OTHERS BELIEVE I DONT HAVE PD, THEREFORE THEY SHOULD NOT LISTEN TO ME!

This is a cruel world, where money is more important than good health! I leave it there!

binnyrox profile image
binnyrox in reply to JohnPepper

Thanks much JohnI have your book and follow the program. It’s been helpful

Appreciate the free advice you have volunteered along the way

JohnPepper profile image
JohnPepper in reply to binnyrox

I am aware of this decision but it was based on using 'Artificial GDNF' as used in the 2003 experiment. Did they even consider using 'Natural' GDNF. I suspect that that would not have put any money into anybody's pocket, so it was not even considered.

This may sound foolish, but as nobody has ever discussed this subject with me, I am left to draw my own conclusion.

If they did consider using natural GDNF, then how were they planning to get the body to produce that GDNF? It would be interesting to find out the answer to that question.

Perhaps you could find out and tell me?

sharoncrayn profile image
sharoncrayn in reply to JohnPepper

the potential neuroprotective effects of GDNF (Glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor) have been researched extensively, especially rat models.

the works of McCullough et al. (2013) and Gyorkos et al. (2014) demonstrate that physical exercise is sufficient to increase GDNF protein content in the spinal cord, within skeletal muscles, and at the NMJ. Supported by Afzalpour, 2015.

Summary:

High intensity exercise training increases BDNF and GDNF in the brain.

• HIITInterval training increases BDNF and GDNF in the brain more than moderate continuous training.

• There is positive correlation between H2O2 and TNFα with BDNF and GDNF in the brain

been down this road before with you John. future stem cell therapy, possibly.

sharon

JohnPepper profile image
JohnPepper in reply to sharoncrayn

Nobody has yet spoken about finding out how to produce more natural GDNF. Inserting artificial GDNF into the brain is problematic.

sharoncrayn profile image
sharoncrayn in reply to JohnPepper

John,

You already have the answer.

all 3 neurotrophic factors essentially go up and down together as seen in the normal process of brain aging. Minimizing the impact of this brain aging is therefore critical for all 3 factors as they impact PD, ALZ, etc.

to minimize brain aging, simply means exercise, deep sleep, minimal stress, plenty of sunlight, antioxidant diet, avoiding immune challenges (covid-19)...done consistently over time.

severe immune distress is capable of producing a neuroinflammatory response, and in the aged brain this response is exaggerated and prolonged. As a result, the neurotrophic factors are reduced.

sharon

Cagey84 profile image
Cagey84 in reply to JohnPepper

John - you should update your position on GDNF, a lot has happened since 2003.

journalofparkinsonsdisease....

content.iospress.com/articl...

youtube.com/watch?v=NGgqr_g...

parkinsons.org.uk/news/why-...

sharoncrayn profile image
sharoncrayn in reply to Cagey84

Getting to the point, none of the GDNF CTs achieved their primary end point.

Sharon

Cagey84 profile image
Cagey84 in reply to sharoncrayn

Exactly - promise but no proof

jeffmayer profile image
jeffmayer

Well. Said

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