| Peer-Reviewed

The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders

Received: 15 January 2019     Accepted: 12 March 2019     Published: 30 March 2019
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Abstract

After nearly a century of intensive research and clinical investigation, the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders remains an enigma. Short of a clear understanding of how psychiatric symptoms are produced, the various cognitive, emotional, and behavior patterns that characterize psychiatric disorders continue to be grouped into syndromes and treated accordingly. The weakness of this approach is that the treatment is administered without a clear understanding of what pathological process is being treated. Moreover, the symptoms of most psychiatric disorders are frequently changing and melding into one another. This leads to diagnostic confusion, medication stacking, and poor treatment outcomes, all of which erode patient trust and perpetuate the stigma of mental illness. In this seminal report, a new hypothesis on the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders will be presented based on multidisciplinary evidence that nearly all psychiatric disorders and their functional comorbidities are rooted in a single, shared, neurophysiological abnormality. The report will then trace that abnormality to its molecular roots and introduce a new paradigm through which the many faces of mental illness can be understood and uniformly treated. The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability hypothesis of psychiatric disorders posits that an inherent hyperexcitability of the neurological system is at the root of mental illness and provides a precise, functionally-specific framework that eliminates diagnostic confusion, informs a unified treatment approach, and helps remove the long-held stigma of mental illness.

Published in American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13
Page(s) 12-30
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hyperactive Brain, Central Sensitivity, Psychophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders, Brain Circuits in Psychiatric Disorders, Neural Circuits in Psychiatric Disorders, Genetics of Psychiatric Disorders, Temperament and Psychiatric Disorders, Neuromodulators

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  • APA Style

    Michael R. Binder. (2019). The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 7(1), 12-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13

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    ACS Style

    Michael R. Binder. The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders. Am. J. Clin. Exp. Med. 2019, 7(1), 12-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13

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    AMA Style

    Michael R. Binder. The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders. Am J Clin Exp Med. 2019;7(1):12-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13,
      author = {Michael R. Binder},
      title = {The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders},
      journal = {American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine},
      volume = {7},
      number = {1},
      pages = {12-30},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcem.20190701.13},
      abstract = {After nearly a century of intensive research and clinical investigation, the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders remains an enigma. Short of a clear understanding of how psychiatric symptoms are produced, the various cognitive, emotional, and behavior patterns that characterize psychiatric disorders continue to be grouped into syndromes and treated accordingly. The weakness of this approach is that the treatment is administered without a clear understanding of what pathological process is being treated. Moreover, the symptoms of most psychiatric disorders are frequently changing and melding into one another. This leads to diagnostic confusion, medication stacking, and poor treatment outcomes, all of which erode patient trust and perpetuate the stigma of mental illness. In this seminal report, a new hypothesis on the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders will be presented based on multidisciplinary evidence that nearly all psychiatric disorders and their functional comorbidities are rooted in a single, shared, neurophysiological abnormality. The report will then trace that abnormality to its molecular roots and introduce a new paradigm through which the many faces of mental illness can be understood and uniformly treated. The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability hypothesis of psychiatric disorders posits that an inherent hyperexcitability of the neurological system is at the root of mental illness and provides a precise, functionally-specific framework that eliminates diagnostic confusion, informs a unified treatment approach, and helps remove the long-held stigma of mental illness.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability Hypothesis of Psychiatric Disorders
    AU  - Michael R. Binder
    Y1  - 2019/03/30
    PY  - 2019
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13
    T2  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
    JF  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
    JO  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
    SP  - 12
    EP  - 30
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8133
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20190701.13
    AB  - After nearly a century of intensive research and clinical investigation, the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders remains an enigma. Short of a clear understanding of how psychiatric symptoms are produced, the various cognitive, emotional, and behavior patterns that characterize psychiatric disorders continue to be grouped into syndromes and treated accordingly. The weakness of this approach is that the treatment is administered without a clear understanding of what pathological process is being treated. Moreover, the symptoms of most psychiatric disorders are frequently changing and melding into one another. This leads to diagnostic confusion, medication stacking, and poor treatment outcomes, all of which erode patient trust and perpetuate the stigma of mental illness. In this seminal report, a new hypothesis on the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders will be presented based on multidisciplinary evidence that nearly all psychiatric disorders and their functional comorbidities are rooted in a single, shared, neurophysiological abnormality. The report will then trace that abnormality to its molecular roots and introduce a new paradigm through which the many faces of mental illness can be understood and uniformly treated. The Multi-Circuit Neuronal Hyperexcitability hypothesis of psychiatric disorders posits that an inherent hyperexcitability of the neurological system is at the root of mental illness and provides a precise, functionally-specific framework that eliminates diagnostic confusion, informs a unified treatment approach, and helps remove the long-held stigma of mental illness.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • North Shore University Health System Highland Park Hospital, Highland Park, USA

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