Head Injuries and Neuroinflammation: Part II

In practice, I regularly see patients who suffer from persistent muscle spasms, balance issues, headaches, exhaustion, and heightened sensitivity to smells and sounds. Often these symptoms have persisted for years. They may have seen many practitioners without relief, and feel hopeless about their ability to heal.

The cause may be glial (pronounced GLEE-uhl) priming, which is a shift from a healthy brain to an inflamed brain.

In Part I, we learned about the different types of brain cells, and what happens when a head injury causes changes in microglia, the cells that nourish and protect healthy neurons. Microglia become activated (slowly changing shape and function), then primed (converted into "search-and-destroy" cells).

When a head injury occurs, the damage is commonly limited to the region of the brain that took the brunt of the impact. This is an important point to keep in mind in case there are future traumatic injuries to the same region, which can make that brain area degenerate faster than other areas of the brain.

Microglial Priming causes the microglial cells to form 2 different cells, known as M1 and M2. M1 is highly inflammatory and destructive, while M2 is anti-inflammatory and healing. M2's job is to clean up neuronal debris and restore order in that region of the brain. In a glial primed person, it is highly beneficial to have more M2 cells than M1 cells because the M2 cells calm the brain inflammation down. One can improve the number of M2 cells, and reduce the number of M1 cells with anti-inflammatory dietary and lifestyle strategies.

The most important factor in decreasing the M1/M2 ratio is sleep. At least 8 hrs per day is essential in

Glial Priming. The second most important factor is vigorous exercise. Studies have shown that even short-duration vigorous exercise decreases pro-inflammatory factors significantly, while simultaneously increasing anti-inflammatory factors.

Here's the major takeaway: once microglia have been primed, they never go back to their earlier function! After a couple of TBI's, the injured region of the brain becomes highly susceptible to any inflammatory process, even a food allergy or perfume exposure. People with microglial priming are the folks who are highly sensitive to environmental factors that most of us don't even notice.

Not all head injuries cause glial priming. The degree of glial activation and glial priming depends on a host of other factors, as listed in the diagrams above (courtesy of and copyright The Kharrazian Institute). If you're a diabetic smoker (two highly inflammatory conditions) with a prior history of TBI, the odds are much greater that you'll be more susceptible to a glial primed state after a head injury or a small stroke.

To summarize, traumatic brain injuries, serious infections, and emotional trauma can initiate changes in microglia that make unhealthy lifestyle behaviors MUCH more damaging. Symptoms of this condition, propelled by everyday inflammatory events like food allergy exposure or flu, lead to ongoing destructive processes in the brain that can lead to progressive degenerative neurological conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, MS, and ALS.

If you've suffered from these symptoms and have not found relief in conventional or even alternative

medical treatments, it is important to find a practitioner who is familiar with glial priming and the steps it takes to support a glial-primed brain. By optimizing sleep and exercise, receiving Osteopathic Cranial treatment, following a personalized anti-inflammatory diet, and using brain supportive nutrients to catalyze healing, you can optimize your brain's health and resilience.

Richard Nuzzi, DC