The New Science of Neuroinflammation and How to Protect Your Brain with Dr. Austin Perlmutter

This episode is brought to you by ButcherBox and Cozy Earth.

Over 300 million people around the world experience depression. For the last half-century, the dominant explanation for depression has centered on serotonin. The basic idea is that low levels of brain serotonin or serotonin activity lead to symptoms of depression. But in the last several decades, a number of researchers have challenged the idea that serotonin plays a principal role, or even a major role, in depression. So, if it’s not a serotonin issue, what is it?

Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru and Dr. Austin Perlmutter talk about why serotonin may not explain depression, but research on other brain pathways may provide answers such as neuroplasticity, our hormones, metabolic health, gut health, and the immune connection to the brain. They also discuss how there is a lot we can do through our lifestyle choices to help prevent and even manage depression.

Dr. Perlmutter is a board-certified internal medicine physician and expert on how environmental influences affect our mental and brain health. He is a coauthor of the New York Times and international bestseller Brain Wash, which he wrote with his father Dr. David Perlmutter, and he hosts the Get The STUCK Out podcast. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Science and Clinical Innovation at Big Bold Health, where he is running an IRB-approved pilot trial exploring the effects of polyphenols on epigenetic expression.

In this episode, we dive into: 

-The top drivers of depression (1:42)

-The connection between neuroinflammation and depression (9:30)

-How our immune system influences our brain function (11:49)

-What governs our brain state and how we make decisions (16:04)

-The top causes of inflammation (17:31)

-How exposure to particulate matter impacts our brain function (36:21)

-The top foods for brain health (44:15) 

-Why depression is not a serotonin issue (50:37)

-Myths about serotonin (56:47) 

-What you can do to improve your brain health (1:16:22)

Also mentioned in this episode:

-Dr. Mark Hyman’s Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Pancake Recipe

For more on Dr. Perlmutter, follow him on Instagram @draustinperlmutter, Facebook @draustinnperlmutter, and through his website austinperlmutter.com. 

This episode is brought to you by ButcherBox and Cozy Earth.

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