Heavy Metal Toxicity

A Dynamic Duo: Testing Hormones with Neurotransmitters

In the neurological system, hormones are synergistic with neurotransmitters – modulating their production, signaling and metabolism. Because of this complex interplay, testing hormones and neurotransmitters together is an ideal way to generate a more precise clinical assessment.
This combined testing gives practitioners a diagnostic edge over the traditional psychological inventory and offers the advantage of zeroing in on which therapies are best suited for individual patients – cutting down on the time-consuming process of trial-and-error for identifying treatment options.

Testing Elements with Neurotransmitters

Heavy metals are damaging to brain health. They disrupt neurotransmitter function and create oxidative stress that is detrimental to nerve cells, contributing to mood disorders, poor memory and dementia. Identifying exposure to heavy metals may be key to assessing and treating mood disorders and preventing neurodegenerative diseases.
In contrast, nutritional elements are generally protective for brain health. Lithium acts directly on the brain by slowing the progression of dementia and stabilizing mood, while elements like iodine and selenium act indirectly by supporting healthy thyroid and brain function.

Intercellular communication in the brain requires precise control over the duration and intensity of neurotransmitter release at specific sites. After their release at the synapse, they activate pre-and post-synaptic receptors. To terminate synaptic transmission, neurotransmitters are in turn, inactivated by either enzymatic degradation or active transport in neuronal cells by neurotransmitter transporters. Epinephrine, also called adrenaline is mainly synthesized in adrenal medulla and stored in chromaffin granules and released during acute stress and crisis. Therefore epinephrine and norepinephrine are released in response to flight, fight, fright, exercise and hypoglycemia. Epinephrine is catabolised to metanephrine and similarly norepinephrine is catabolised to normetanephrine. Both are then acted upon by mono amine oxidase (MAO) to form end product vanillylmandelic acid (VMA). Dopamine oxidatively deaminated to Homovanillic acid (HVA). HVA and VMA both are classical indicators of mental stress and anxiety. Impaired tryptophan pathway results in elevated Quinolinate generation. It is a dicarboxylic acid with potent neurotoxicity involved in mood disorders. Kynurenate is a normal breakdown product of tryptophan. It acts as anti-excitotoxic and anticonvulsant owing to its antagonistic action towards several excitatory amino acid receptors. Defective Tryptophan metabolism due to B6 deficiency may raise Kynurenate while excess tryptophan metabolism produces 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5HIAA). Glutamate and Aspartate are acidic non-essential amino acid neurotransmitters involved in neuronal excitation while Gamma amino bytyrate (GABA) and Glycine are inhibitory neurotransmitters.