Neurochemical Tug-of-War: How Excitotoxicity Drives Alzheimer’s

Think of your brain like a car. Glutamate is the gas pedal – it drives learning, memory, and quick thinking. GABA is the brake – it calms the system, helps you sleep, and keeps neurons from burning out.

In a healthy brain, these two are in balance. But in Alzheimer’s, the scales tip: there’s way too much “gas” and not enough “brake.” Neurons get overstimulated, calcium floods in, mitochondria fizzle out, and cells literally burn themselves to death. This is called excitotoxicity, and it’s one of the hidden engines behind cognitive decline.

How the spiral begins

It usually doesn’t start with memory loss – it starts with energy loss.

  • When mitochondria (your cell batteries) can’t keep up, neurons become fragile.

  • Astrocytes, the brain’s cleanup crew, stop clearing excess glutamate properly.

  • Extra glutamate piles up in the synapses → neurons go into overdrive.

  • As cells die, the calming GABA system weakens further.

Result: the brain is stuck on full throttle with no brakes.

Early red flags

These symptoms can creep in long before an official diagnosis:

  • Brain fog, word-finding issues

  • Noise or light feels overwhelming

  • Anxiety, racing mind, can’t switch off

  • Restless nights, shallow sleep

  • Migraines or random muscle twitches

It’s like your nervous system is running too hot, too fast.

Hormones stirring the pot

Hormones decide how sensitive your brain is to this tug-of-war:

  • Cortisol (stress hormone) – too much for too long shrinks memory centers and dials down GABA.

  • Adrenaline – makes neurons even more excitable under stress.

  • Estrogen – protective in balance, but chronic excess fuels inflammation and mitochondrial stress.

  • Progesterone – your built-in brain chill pill. It boosts GABA and helps neurons recover. When it drops (stress, perimenopause, poor nutrition), the brakes fade away.

👉 Stress + nutrient gaps = hormones out of sync → glutamate takes over.

What the brain really needs

  • Amino acids: glycine & taurine to support GABA, creatine & carnitine for mitochondria (all found in meat…)

  • Minerals: magnesium (especially threonate for the brain), zinc, selenium.

  • Vitamins: B6 for GABA synthesis, B12 & folate for brain wiring and energy.

  • Fats: keep omega-6 low; too much drives excitotoxicity.

  • Lithium (microdose!): tiny amounts may help stabilize glutamate and protect neurons.

Prevention in action

  1. Calm the stress response → calm, no screens, sleep, recovery.

  2. Support progesterone & GABA → zinc, B6, cholesterol, or bioidentical progesterone if needed.

  3. Protect the mitochondria → nutrient dense food to keep your productin of endogenous antioxidant high: CoQ10, glutathione, SOD. Creatine, magnesium, steady fuel from carbs + protein + saturated fats.

  4. Skip the brain irritants → processed food with MSG, alcohol binges, high PUFA intake.

  5. Build brain reserve → exercise and social connections → raises BDNF, strengthens both gas and brake.

✨ Alzheimer’s doesn’t appear overnight. It’s more like a slow spiral where brain energy weakness, stress hormones, and glutamate overdrive chip away at neurons. The good news? Supporting your brakes (GABA, progesterone, sleep, calm), fueling your mitochondria, and cutting down brain irritants may help keep that spiral from ever gaining speed.

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