Enhancing the effectiveness of neurofeedback for dementia and cognitive impairments through corrective doses of ascorbic acid.
by John Putman | January 31st, 2025Neurofeedback has established itself as a safe and effective technique that can enhance brain function–through improving the efficiency of the neural networks in the brain. It has proven its effectiveness in disorders such as epilepsy, ADHD, head injuries, learning disabilities, autism, mood instabilities, sleep and chronic pain. In such cases we are dealing with a reasonably healthy neural network that is not in an optimal state of functioning. By “healthy”, I mean in terms of the physical integrity of the overall neural structure –where the issue is confined to the domain of network timing and sequencing. In this regard, neurofeedback has been very successful in restoring, or at least improving, overall functionality in the brain by challenging the mechanisms of neural network regulation. With respect to issues of state regulation, these mechanisms are predominantly sub-cortical.
However, neurofeedback has been only marginally effective in dealing with severe cognitive and motor impact diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and vascular-related dementias. With these disorders, it is no longer just an issue of neural network timing and sequencing. It is the network itself that is failing. In such cases neurofeedback is fighting a losing battle – i.e., we are attempting to train a neural network that is collapsing out from under, due to a relentless assault from oxidative stress on critical neural tissues and other mechanisms.
In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, there is a direct connection between oxidative stress and the formation of amyloid plaques (R.G Roy, et al., 2023). If one could moderate the oxidative stress, one might slow or ameliorate the deleterious fallout that occurs downstream of that damage. It seems that the common diseases of the Central Nervous System are tied to oxidative destruction—which, in turn, is related to chronic and pervasive inflammation.
Myelin is an insulating layer or sheath that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin is derived from collagen-based proteins. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and it plays a centrally important role in the structure and integrity of the central nervous system (CNS). As the myelin layer deteriorates, neural transmission becomes compromised and ultimately destroyed, leading to an inexorable decline in functioning (C. Depp, et. al., 2023). This may even have direct implications for amyloid-beta deposition in Alzheimer’s. The authors state that “[L]oss of myelin integrity could be an upstream risk factor for neuronal amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition.” Myelin loss likely plays a central role in other forms of dementia –such as Lewy Body and Vascular dementia as well (M. Ihara, et. al., 2010). Myelin is formed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) which are central to the formation of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM). This matrix provides the support structure of the cells, and collagen is a major component of this matrix. In the CNS, myelin is formed by oligodendrocytes, aiding synaptic transmission and providing critical metabolic support to the axons (Peiwen Chen, et al., 2015). Again, these are collagen-based structures. Thus, anything that is key to sustaining collagen production is also essential to the optimal functioning of the CNS.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can ameliorate oxidative stress directly by neutralizing free radicals, with possible implications for the formation of amyloid-beta deposits in Alzheimer’s. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is also of central importance in the formation of collagen, and to the maintenance of sturdy myelination (Guo et., al. 2018). CNS deterioration can potentially be prevented, halted, and likely reversed when provided with the proper nutrients, in particular with the addition of corrective doses of Vitamin C. Human beings lost their ability to make their own vitamin C, thanks to a genetic mutation that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago (Monacelli, et.al., 2017). So we must obtain all of our vitamin C from diet or supplementation. Accordingly, the government’s “Recommended Daily Allowance” (RDA) for an adult human of nominally 150 lbs has been 60 mg/day for many years. After much pressure and argument from scientists, it was finally moved up to 90 mg for men and 70 mg for women.
To get a sense of what an appropriate “corrective dose” might be, we look over at our mammalian relatives who are not constrained in the amount of Vitamin C that they utilize daily just because they have retained the ability to produce it. It turns out that this amount may be as high as 18 grams per day, for a reference level of a 150 pound animal, if necessary. 18 grams is 18,000 milligrams! This is directly relevant to our situation. The endocrine system of these mammals is very similar to that of humans–as is the organic make up of their tissues. As such, they are prone to the same laws of oxidative destruction. But in these animals (particularly those in the wild), diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, dementia, Parkinson’s, connective tissue abnormalities and many other afflictions, do not exist to any significant degree. We have every reason to take this information as directly relevant to our own situation.
When we attempt to supplement with Vitamin C orally with such large doses, however, we may well run into the problem of bowel tolerance–i.e. diarrhea. This can be considered the vitamin C “spillover” threshold–which can vary depending upon the amount utilized in a given day. A practical limit may be on the order of five or six grams per day. But at times of illness, our ‘bowel tolerance’ goes up immensely, as the immune system avidly takes up the Vitamin C. The implications are inescapable. In times of illness, our Vitamin C stores are severely source-limited if we rely on what we may get from our diet plus our government’s RDA, or even if we are supplementing at one or two grams per day.
We have here an explanatory model for why the diseases listed above are massively rampant in our society. A chronic state of “hypo-ascorbemia” has waged a war on the human body, leading to a pervasive state of inflammation –which is the bedrock of chronic disease and of accelerated aging … or “inflamm-aging” (Monacelli, et al., 2017). So how important is it to maintain an abundance of ascorbic acid in the brain to sustain normal function? The distribution of ascorbic acid in the body tells the story: The concentration in the brain is 10 times higher than in the blood stream (Agus, D.B., et al., 1997). This strongly suggests that Vitamin C deficiency may be the determining factor in oxidative destruction in the brain.
Whereas our understanding has advanced over the years, much of the research on the powerful effects of vitamin C on human diseases is decades old. In light of that, the decision to retain such a modest RDA must be seen as a political rather than a scientific one. We’ll likely be waiting a long time for modern medicine to give its blessing to a natural (non-patentable) remedy for disease.
The focus of this newsletter is to illustrate the Vitamin C to CNS connection–by way of myelination and cell wall integrity–and to suggest how this relationship can play out favorably in the context of neurofeedback training for cognitive decline and dementia. It has been recognized that these conditions have a long prior history, and that brain inflammation is a key factor. We also know that NF training in application to incipient dementia is most effective when begun early. Both Vitamin C supplementation and neurofeedback can be seen as key constituents of a prevention model.
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