Neuro-Diversity, Giftedness, Over-Excitabilities and Premature Aging

Val's Take & Conjecture

• There's debate about the distinction between intelligence and giftedness; but certainly "giftedness" is associated with "overexcitabilities."
• I think those "overexcitabilities" are the result at least in part of Maternal Immune Activation.
• Further, it is highly individual and idiosyncratic.
  

"Hyper-excitability" in the brain is associated with Alzheimer's and Epilepsy as well as Neuro-Developmental Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders and Neuro-Degenerative Disorders

In family relationships, it can be very bewildering that this person we know to be so "smart" is struggling cognitively and/or struggling with serious fatigue.

Further, this isn't occurring in a vacuum--- there are other members of the  family as well as a pretty hyper-excitable society.

Researchers are articulating more sophisticated and nuanced views of intelligence than they have done in the past.

I think our previous simplistic views were largely due to the fact that many researchers considered themselves intelligent --- so it must be an unqualified good --- right?
 
To say "giftedness" or "intelligence" is a mixed bag is an understatement.
 
On the other hand, better understandings and approaches could greatly improve things.

High intelligence may exacerbate paediatric inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection
(2021)

These observations warrant prospective and retrospective studies of autoinflammatory markers and mechanisms to elucidate any special psychoneuroimmunological vulnerability in children with a high IQ, as such studies may raise implications for how and when prophylactic medical care is provided to children.

Neuronal Hyperexcitability: Significance, Cause, and Diversity of Clinical Expression (2021)

Abstract

Although the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders remains unclear, an emerging hypothesis contends that most of the common psychiatric disorders are rooted in an inherent hyperexcitability of the neurological system.

Particularly under the influence of stress, too many neurons fire for too long, resulting in pathologically severe and persistent symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, inattention, and obsessional thinking.

However, these symptoms are just a small sampling of the many ways that neuronal hyperexcitability can be expressed.

According to the Multi-Circuit Neuronal (MCNH) Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders, the trait can also be expressed as overly aggressive behavior, disruptive behavior, risky behavior, promiscuous behavior, avoidant behavior, self-injurious behavior, deviant behavior, addictive behavior, and criminal behavior.

In essence, any behavioral extreme is likely to be rooted in an inherent hyperexcitability of the neurological system.

The importance of recognizing this is that the abnormality, though highly treatable, is commonly overlooked and either mismanaged or poorly managed.

Also, there is emerging evidence that the neuronal hyperexcitability trait, which appears to be heritable as a single nucleotide polymorphism, may be detectable by simply measuring one’s resting vital signs.

If proven to be correct, these findings could incentivize carriers to develop prophylactic strategies early in life.

The importance of this is immense, not only because it could reduce the risk of developing psychiatric and substance use disorders but also because it could have a protective effect against developing any of a wide range of general medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

This article explores the many faces of neuronal hyperexcitability in an effort to increase awareness of this highly prevalent but elusive neurophysiological abnormality.

Modulation of Brain Hyperexcitability: Potential New Therapeutic Approaches in Alzheimer’s Disease (2020)

Such aberrant activity subsequently leads to downstream accumulation of toxic proteins, and ultimately to further neurodegeneration and neuronal silencing mediated by concomitant tau accumulation.

Several neurotransmitters participate in the initial hyperexcitable state, with increased synaptic glutamatergic tone and decreased GABAergic inhibition.

These changes appear to activate excitotoxic pathways and, ultimately, cause reduced long-term potentiation, increased long-term depression, and increased GABAergic inhibitory remodelling at the network level.

Brain hyperexcitability has therefore been identified as a potential target for therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing cognition, and, possibly, disease modification in the longer term.

Why some researchers are approaching "giftedness" as a form of neurodivergence- and what that means for ‘gifted burnout’

Editorial: Pathological hyperactivity and hyperexcitability in the central nervous system (2022)

In pathology, an abnormal excitation-to-inhibition (E/I) ratio leads to neuronal hyperexcitability and network hyperactivity, constituting the basis for epilepsy and subsequent cognitive dysfunction, and is associated with many neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric diseases.