Leaky Brain Syndrome

Although many people have heard of Leaky Bowel Syndrome, few have heard of Leaky Brain Syndrome.

I coined this term when I became aware of the damaging effects on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) from the accumulation of ammonia in the brain. Ammonia in the brain is a primary cause of neurological and psychological hypersensitivity.

Ammonia alters the permeability of the BBB, enabling larger molecules to cross, such as common amino-acids, causing cerebral allergies. Ammonia-induced Leaky Brain Syndrome is one of the primary causes of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Cognitive dysfunction, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and a myriad of other chronic conditions.


There are only a few ways ammonia can become a problem in the brain. Severe liver disease is a well-recognized producer of global ammonia.

However, I first became aware of brain-ammonia problems while treating a gentleman
from England who came to me after being diagnosed with Lyme disease (Neuroborreliosis).

Quite surprisingly, my testing revealed Trypanosoma gambiense as his primary microbial challenge. T. gambiense causes African Sleeping Sickness (ASS).

Only after subsequent study did I find that the symptoms of ASS are caused by the neurotoxic effects of ammonia produced in the brain by the microbe.

Interestingly, the man said that for years he had told doctors that it felt like someone was pouring ammonia over his brain.

The severe debilitation this man was experiencing reminded me of some of the symptoms of many of my Chronic Fatigue, MS, ALS, and Lyme patients.

Subsequent testing revealed that all of these people had localized ammonia accumulations, primarily in the brain,heart, and liver, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the causative agent in Lyme disease.
It would
seem that Bb releases ammonia, which is converted to glutamine, by way of the glutamine synthetase pathways, which lead to localized swelling of astrocytes.

This ammonia-induced glutamine accumulation may cause dysfunction of astrocytes, leading to impairment of vascular reactivity of the BBB (Toshiki 2000).

Depending upon the severity of infection and tissue environmental issues – including pH, temperature, oxygen levels, emotional state – the amount of ammonia could cause variable and cyclical worsening of symptoms.
(It has already been reported that neurological problems are caused by either congenital or acquired hyperammonemia (Albrecht 1998)).

All of the ammonia-related pathological changes predispose these individuals to cerebral allergies, due to alterations in the blood brain barrier, subsequently allowing larger molecules, such as common dietary amino acids,to pass through to the brain.

Neurotransmitter receptors and function are impaired, and possibly the most common
symptom surfaces – altered brain energy metabolism, leading to cognitive brain dysfunctions, the total fatigue of the mind when forced to read, talk, or think for extended periods......

The rest of this ALERT can be found at this link at the Hansa Center under Articles & Excerpts titled "Ammonia and the Blood-Brain Barrier"