The Unique Vulnerability of the Human Brain to Toxic Chemical Exposure and the Importance of Toxic Chemical Evaluation and Treatment in Orthomolecular Psychiatry

The application of nutritional therapy for the treatment of mental illness has considerably advanced since the pioneering work of Abram Hoffer and his colleague Osmond on the nutritional treatment of schizophrenia using megadoses of vitamins, especially niacin. The clinical benefit of this work was given a significant boost in its theoretical underpinnings by the double Nobel Laureate, Linus Pauling, in the highly influential article1 in the journal Science called “Orthomolecular Psychiatry.” I can still remember the excitement that the article generated for me while in graduate school preparing for my Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Medical University of Abstract The human brain and the brains of whales and dolphins (cetaceans) are especially susceptible to a variety of toxic chemicals because of natural selection that favors brain structures promoting advanced brain functions such as long-term memory and rapid learning. The high fat content of these brains also makes them especially susceptible to long term storage of the same fat soluble toxic chemicals that accumulate in adipose tissue. The high rate of metabolism in these mammalian brains and high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids also makes them much more susceptible to free radical damage mediated by toxic chemicals, leading to increased damage to brain macromolecules like deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, proteins, cell organelles, and small molecules. The sulfur amino acids are also highest in these brains, making them exquisitely susceptible to exposure to heavy metals. All of these biochemical factors make human and cetacean brains extremely susceptible to neuropsychiatric diseases and criminal behaviors caused by exposures to a variety of toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals are probably involved in the etiology of many different (possibly most) neuropsychiatric disorders and as a factor in criminal acts. Heavy metals and anti-bacterial cleaners are used as examples. Some simple orthomolecular methods useful for detoxification from a variety of toxic chemicals are briefly reviewed.