Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is now recognized as a causative factor for hormonal deficiencies associated with personality changes based upon changes in the molecular chemistry of the brain. Psychological, physiological, and physical manifestations like; depression, anxiety, mood swings, bouts of anger, memory loss, inability to concentrate, learning disabilities, sleep deprivation, increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, loss of libido, menstrual irregularities, pre-mature menopause, obesity, loss of lean body mass, muscular weakness, and a number of other medical conditions can all arise subsequent to head trauma.

The brain's guesses are compromised. It's not guessing very well and it's not updating its guesses based on new learning, so it's trapped in an old model. And as a consequence, people who suffer from PTSD are reliving experiences that are not driven by what's around them in the moment. They are really transported to another time and place and reliving that experience. Part of the problem is that plasticity in a brain that is suffering from PTSD is compromised, meaning that day-to-day new learning, which is subtly changing the wiring of the brain, is not really happening.

Emerging findings suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serves widespread roles in regulating energy homeostasis by controlling patterns of feeding and physical activity, and by modulating glucose metabolism in peripheral tissues. BDNF mediates beneficial effects of energetic challenges such as vigorous exercise and fasting on cognition, mood, cardiovascular function and peripheral metabolism. By stimulating glucose transport and mitochondrial biogenesis BDNF bolsters cellular bioenergetics and protects neurons against injury and disease. By acting in the brain and periphery, BDNF increases insulin sensitivity and parasympathetic tone. Genetic factors, a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle and chronic stress impair BDNF signaling, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. Novel BDNF-focused interventions are being developed for obesity, diabetes and neurological disorders.