Gluten and Neuro Disease

Dr. Weeks’ Comment:   This is a well established problematic relationship:  gluten from wheat and neurological  gut and brain dysfunction.  Worth ruling out !

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Gluten sensitivity and brain disease: neuronal transglutaminase

March 8th, 2010

The authors of this paper published in Annals of Neurology make an important statement:

“Gluten sensitivity typically presents as celiac disease, a chronic, autoimmune-mediated, small-intestinal disorder. Neurological disorders occur with a frequency of up to 10% in these patients. However, neurological dysfunction can also be the sole presenting feature of gluten sensitivity.”

Antibodies directed toward transglutaminase in the gut are a well-known diagnostic feature of celiac disease. These investigators have identified another member of the transglutaminase family:

“…a novel neuronal transglutaminase isozyme and investigated whether this enzyme is the target of the immune response in patients with neurological dysfunction.” They found that “Whereas the development of anti-transglutaminase 2 IgA is linked with gastrointestinal disease, an anti-transglutaminase 6 IgG and IgA response is prevalent in gluten ataxia, independent of intestinal involvement.”

(Ataxia is loss of the ability to coordinate muscle movement, especially as it appears with difficulty walking.) Their conclusion:

“Antibodies against transglutaminase 6 can serve as a marker…to identify a subgroup of patients with gluten sensitivity who may be at risk for development of neurological disease.“

If you are gluten sensitive, you can have neurological disease without celiac involvement.

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