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Brain Bites

Brain Bites reviews the latest research in brain health and neurodegeneration, with tips and ideas for how to support health conditions through diet, lifestyle, and nutraceuticals

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Rethinking neurodegeneration: A systems biology approach to brain health

  • Oct 16
  • 3 min read


Neurodegenerative diseases, including Motor Neurone Disease (MND)/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, and Dementia — are often described as progressive and irreversible.


But new thinking is emerging. A growing number of researchers and clinicians believe that by understanding the systems biology of the brain, the complex network of pathways that influence energy, inflammation, and repair — we may be able to slow, and in some cases partially reverse, aspects of neurodegenerative decline.


In this episode of the Nutritional Medicine Podcast, host Benjamin Brown speaks with Dr Kirstie Lawton, PhD, about how a personalised, nutrition-centred approach could transform the future of brain health.


🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode above



A New Way of Thinking About Brain Health


Dr Lawton and Benjamin Brown discuss how understanding modifiable biological systems, from mitochondria and inflammation to nutrient signalling and detoxification, could change the course of neurodegenerative care.


This isn’t about miracle cures or false hope. It’s about using evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle interventions to support the body’s own capacity for repair and resilience.


As research continues to evolve, this systems-based, personalised approach could become a powerful tool not only for treatment but for prevention, helping everyone maintain sharper thinking, better mood, and healthier ageing.



What you’ll discover


  • Why neurodegenerative diseases may not be as “fixed” as once thought

  • The science behind personalised nutritional and lifestyle medicine for brain resilience

  • How biological factors like oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gut–brain communication contribute to neurodegeneration

  • What a systems biology approach really means — and how it helps identify root causes rather than just treating symptoms

  • Dr Lawton’s own experience recovering from unexplained neurological symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes


Whether you’re living with a neurodegenerative condition, supporting a loved one, or simply wanting to protect your brain as you age, this discussion offers both hope and scientific clarity.



About Dr Kirstie Lawton


Dr Kirstie Lawton is an AfN-registered Nutritionist, BANT-registered Nutritionist, and CNHC-registered Nutritional Therapist with over two decades of experience.


She holds a BSc (Hons) and PhD in Nutrition from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, a DipION from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION), and a PGCE in Higher Education from the University of London. She is currently completing an MSc in Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration at the University of Sheffield School of Medicine and Population Health.


Beyond her clinical practice, Dr Lawton helped establish the UK’s first Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition, developed by ION in collaboration with Portsmouth University. She also serves on the editorial board of the Nutritional Medicine Institute (NMI) and its journal.


Her passion for brain health is deeply personal, born from her own experience with neurological symptoms that conventional medicine could not explain, but which improved dramatically through nutrition and lifestyle medicine.


Today, her clinical work focuses on supporting individuals with ALS, Parkinson’s, dementia, and other neurodegenerative conditions, as well as carers and those wishing to prevent future decline through proactive brain health strategies.



💬 Stay Connected


If you’d like to learn more, you can contact You Nutrition Clinic to speak with one of our practitioners.



🧩 Connect With Us


For more insights, research updates, and practical tips on brain health and nutrition, follow us on Instagram:



Stay inspired. Stay informed. Support your brain. 🧠


Dedication


This episode is dedicated to Ray Griffiths (1959–2025), whose pioneering work on Parkinson’s disease laid key foundations for a systems-based, nutrition-centred approach to brain health and neurodegeneration.

When ALS and MS share the same map: What new research reveals about the brain and the world around us

  • Oct 16
  • 3 min read
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When researchers recently mapped deaths from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) across the United States, they noticed something unexpected. The distribution wasn’t random. Certain regions consistently showed higher rates of the disease.


Curious, they did the same for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) — another serious neurological condition that, like ALS, affects the brain and spinal cord. To their surprise, the two maps almost perfectly overlapped.


This observation became the foundation of a new study published in Scientific Reports (Nature, 2025), which found a striking geographic association between ALS and MS. Even after adjusting for variables such as age, race, income, access to neurologists, and sunlight exposure, the correlation remained strong.



A closer look at the findings


The study used data from two major sources: the CDC WONDER Mortality Database in the United States and the World Health Organization’s Mortality Database for global comparisons.


In the U.S. data, states with higher ALS mortality also had higher MS mortality, a pattern that held true even when other factors were accounted for.


When the researchers included ALS data in statistical models predicting MS rates, the typical north–south gradient (long thought to be linked to sunlight and vitamin D) became less influential. This suggests that geography, and the environmental or lifestyle exposures associated with it, could be contributing factors in both diseases.


Globally, similar patterns emerged, though with less precision due to inconsistent reporting between countries. Still, the findings raised an important question: Why would two distinct neurological conditions show up in the same places?



Searching for the link


While ALS and MS affect different parts of the nervous system, ALS primarily damaging motor neurons and MS involving immune-mediated injury to myelin, both share biological pathways that make the nervous system vulnerable to stress and degeneration.


Across multiple studies, these include:


• Mitochondrial dysfunction – a reduced ability of cells to generate and manage energy

• Oxidative stress – an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants that damages nerve tissue

• Chronic inflammation – the immune system attacking or failing to repair nerve structures


These cellular mechanisms were not examined in the new geographic study, but they provide important context for how environmental and lifestyle factors might contribute biologically to disease risk.


The Scientific Reports (2025) study found that ALS and MS mortality rates cluster in the same U.S. regions, even after adjusting for age, race, income, access to neurologists, and sunlight exposure. This pattern suggests that shared external or environmental influences, including pollutants, toxins, or regional lifestyle factors, could be contributing to both conditions.


Previous research has linked pesticide exposure, heavy metals, and solvents with ALS (Goutman et al., 2022), while low vitamin D levels and latitude have long been associated with MS (Ascherio et al., 2014).


Although this new study does not prove causation, it strengthens the idea that geography may reflect modifiable external influences interacting with genetic susceptibility, helping to explain why these diseases appear in similar regions.



What this means for brain health


For decades, conditions like ALS and MS were viewed almost entirely through a genetic lens, something written into our DNA and beyond our control. But this research suggests that the picture may be broader.


It highlights the possibility that our surroundings, nutrition, and overall lifestyle could contribute to how our nervous system ages and responds to stress. That doesn’t mean these factors cause disease, but that they may influence resilience, how well our cells manage energy, inflammation, and repair.


While this research doesn’t yet identify specific environmental causes, it reminds us that the same biological pathways affected by these exposures, oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial imbalance, are areas where nutrition and lifestyle can support long-term neurological resilience.


Understanding these patterns allows scientists and clinicians to ask more targeted questions about prevention and support.



The role of nutrition and Functional Medicine


At You Nutrition Clinic, we follow emerging research like this closely because it reinforces something fundamental: nutrition and functional medicine are central to supporting the body’s defences against oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial damage.


While no dietary or lifestyle intervention can treat or cure ALS or MS, supporting cellular energy metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and nervous-system repair can help promote resilience and improve overall wellbeing.


Our aim is to translate complex neuroscience into practical, evidence-based strategies that support long-term brain and nervous-system health.



💬 Stay Connected



If you’d like to learn more, you can contact You Nutrition Clinic to speak with one of our practitioners.



🧩 Connect With Us



For more insights, research updates, and practical tips on brain health and nutrition, follow us on Instagram:



Stay inspired. Stay informed. Support your brain. 🧠



References






From pinworms to proteins: How a surprising old drug is inspiring new ideas for Alzheimer’s

  • Oct 16
  • 4 min read
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A new study reveals an unexpected mechanism that could reshape how we understand Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and the science of brain resilience.


Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, together with the University of Pittsburgh, have uncovered surprising findings about an old antiparasitic drug called pyrvinium pamoate, traditionally used to treat intestinal worm infections.


In laboratory models, this compound appeared to restore key protein-regulation systems inside brain cells, dramatically reducing the buildup of toxic proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.


While still in the research phase, these results provide an exciting glimpse into how our cells might maintain balance and resilience, and how nutrition and lifestyle may one day support similar pathways naturally.



Understanding the cellular challenge


In most neurodegenerative diseases, proteins that normally support brain-cell function start to misfold and aggregate.


In Alzheimer’s disease, this protein is tau.

In Parkinson’s disease, it’s alpha-synuclein.


When these proteins clump together, they interfere with communication between neurons, damage mitochondria, and trigger inflammation. Over time, this leads to cell death and the symptoms associated with cognitive or motor decline.


Healthy brain cells rely on finely tuned internal systems — molecular chaperones, autophagy, and proteasomal clearance — to keep protein balance in check. This overall process is known as proteostasis.


However, when these systems are disrupted by oxidative stress, poor energy metabolism, or ageing, protein waste accumulates faster than the cell can manage, setting the stage for disease progression.



The role of nuclear speckles: The brain cell’s hidden regulators


Within every neuron lies a nucleus that manages genetic expression. Inside that nucleus are nuclear speckles — tiny, droplet-like structures that control how genetic instructions are processed into functional proteins.


They operate through a process called liquid–liquid phase separation, meaning they form and move like liquid droplets rather than fixed organelles.

This flexibility allows them to continuously regulate gene expression and coordinate the cell’s stress response.


When exposed to chronic stress, these droplets can become rigid and less functional, disrupting how the cell produces and repairs proteins.


Recent studies have linked this loss of flexibility to several neurodegenerative diseases — but until now, no known drug had been shown to reverse it.



What the UC San Diego Study found


The researchers discovered that pyrvinium pamoate restored the flexibility of nuclear speckles in both cell and animal models of tau pathology.


When the drug was introduced, the droplets regained their normal liquid-like properties, improving communication between the nucleus and the rest of the cell.


This allowed neurons to re-establish healthy protein-control mechanisms, and tau accumulation dropped by about 70 percent.


The team used advanced imaging tools, including optical tweezers, to measure how pyrvinium pamoate changed the physical properties of these nuclear structures.

They confirmed that the compound reduced surface tension within the droplets, helping them move and function normally again.


Importantly, the effect occurred without damaging healthy cells, suggesting the improvement was due to restored regulation, not toxicity.



Why this discovery matters


This research introduces a new idea: that the physical organisation of the cell, not just its chemical reactions, may play a central role in neurodegenerative disease.


By restoring the environment in which genes and proteins are regulated, it may be possible to influence how the brain protects and repairs itself.


This represents a shift from traditional drug approaches that target one specific molecule or receptor. Instead, it focuses on supporting the cell’s inherent ability to maintain homeostasis an approach closely aligned with the principles of functional medicine and nutritional therapy.



How this connects to nutritional science



Although pyrvinium pamoate itself is not suitable for clinical use in brain health, its underlying mechanism reflects biological processes that nutritional therapy seeks to support naturally.


At You Nutrition Clinic, we focus on helping clients support the body’s own ability to maintain cellular balance and repair by:


• Optimising mitochondrial function – sustaining healthy energy metabolism that underpins all cellular renewal

• Reducing oxidative stress and inflammation – both central to the processes of protein misfolding and neuronal injury

• Supporting natural proteostasis – the body’s capacity to fold, recycle, and clear damaged proteins efficiently

• Prioritising restorative sleep and circadian health – as these processes are essential for autophagy and waste clearance in the brain


While the UCSD study explored a pharmacological compound, it underscores a broader truth: when we restore cellular balance and resilience, the nervous system is often better equipped to repair, adapt, and protect itself.



The Future of Brain Research


These findings open a new field of investigation into biophysical neurobiology — how the physical state of cell structures influences function and disease.


Future studies may explore:


• Small molecules that can safely modulate nuclear-phase behaviour in humans

• Nutritional or metabolic factors that help maintain condensate fluidity

• The role of systemic metabolic health in regulating intracellular organisation


For individuals living with or at risk of neurodegenerative conditions, this research offers reassurance that science is moving beyond symptom management toward understanding the root mechanisms of cellular resilience.




💬 Stay Connected



If you’d like to learn more, you can contact You Nutrition Clinic to speak with one of our practitioners.



🧩 Connect With Us



For more insights, research updates, and practical tips on brain health and nutrition, follow us on Instagram:



Stay inspired. Stay informed. Support your brain. 🧠


References



UC San Diego Today (2025, August 11). Antiparasitic drug shows power against Alzheimer’s and dementia. https://today.ucsd.edu/story/antiparasitic-drug-shows-power-against-alzheimers-and-dementia


Ramaswami M., & Alberti S. (2023). Protein phase separation in neurodegeneration. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-022-00704-y


Hipp M. S., Kasturi P., & Hartl F. U. (2019). The proteostasis network and its decline in ageing. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 20(7), 421–435. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-019-0108-y


Alberti S., & Hyman A. A. (2021). Biomolecular condensates at the nexus of cellular stress, protein aggregation, and neurodegeneration. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 22(3), 196–213. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-00326-6





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