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Early Life Viral infection --- Dr. Richard Jin

8/31/2025

Val's Take/Conjecture: I was drawn to this video because of its mention of "long-lasting changes in sensory processing."

Differences in Sensory Processing are significant issues in Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders, with one study finding Differences in Sensory Processing as a "Transdiagnostic Phenotype."

Further, this talks about early life viral infection and "immune activation" leading to mental health issues. It doesn't go a lot into other types of "immune activation" but they exist.

One of the challenges of "MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION" and dysregulation of Microglia --- one may have "ATYPICAL RESPONSES" to common viruses such as Epstein Barr.

At the beginning of the video, it is noted this is for "PROFESSIONAL" audiences only --- and at the end of the video the importance of tamping down the "vaccination debate" is raised.

My concern is that some medical professionals are fanning the fires they are wanting to put out.

Richard Jin, MD, PhD
Resident Physician • Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program •
UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences

Early-Life Viral Infection in Mice Leads to Long-Lasting Changes in Sensory Processing (2024)

Oxford Professor Belinda Lennox --- Arguing for Bringing Psychiatry into the Center of Medicine

8/29/2025

Val's Take: Researchers around the world have taken on the STATUS QUO in Mental Health and are incorporating Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders into NEURO-IMMUNOLOGY.

In the process, they are also recognizing the importance of PRECISION PSYCHIATRY -- one size does not fit all.

Previously, for decades we comforted ourselves with the idea that if we just had UNIVERSAL MEDICATION ADHERENCE --- all would be well or well enough.

That just wasn't panning out, and it took a lot of courage to ask some hard questions about our paradigms and treatments. Professor Belinda Lennox questioned some fundamental assumptions and was rewarded with some deeper understandings.

Professor Belinda Lennox
Oxford University

Advocating for bringing Psychiatry into the Center of Medicine

China is a Major Mental Health research leader

8/17/2025

with ground-breaking work in understanding the neuro-Immune connection to psychiatric disorders.

Val's Take/Conjecture

China got into the Mental Health game like everyone else --- THE HARD WAY.
With regard to DSM controversies, China doesn't have a dog in that fight.
- Although many Chinese scientific papers will note DSM categories are not valid.
  - BUT who first said that --- the US' National Institute of Mental Health over a decade ago.
Ironically, because China came so late to the Mental Health game, the political interests do not appear as entrenched.

There is a high number of papers coming out of China and around the world (including the US) elucidating excruciatingly complex biology involving Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

Are these new understandings any more widely known in China than they are in the US --- probably not.

Extracellular ATP Is a Homeostatic Messenger That Mediates Cell-Cell Communication in Physiological Processes and Psychiatric Diseases (2025)

Causal Relationships Between Retinal Diseases and Psychiatric Disorders Have Implications for Precision Psychiatry (2025)

The prevalence and associated disability burden of mental disorders in children and adolescents in China: a systematic analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (2025)

"Mental disorders are the leading causes of disability in children and adolescents in China, and the disease burden varies geographically.

"Careful planning of health services, including consideration of the local situation, is needed."

Maternal natural killer cells drive neuroimmune disorders in offspring through aberrant secretion of extracellular granzyme B (2025)

From Clinic to Mechanisms: Multi-Omics Provide New Insights into Cerebrospinal Fluid Metabolites and the Spectrum of Psychiatric Disorders (2025)

Translational Medicine Friday

We're riffing off NPR's Science Friday to create Translational Medicine Friday.

We'll be collecting Research Article recommendations for Clinicians with regard to Cognitive Disability.

There is much in the RESEARCH JOURNALS and we'll just be SKIMMING THE SURFACE.

The POINT is to INCREASE FUNDING for TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH at the Federal Level for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Nation's Research & Teaching Hospitals and possible collaborations with Medicare and Medicaid providers.

Translational Medicine Friday

Early Life Viral infection --- Dr. Richard Jin

Oxford Professor Belinda Lennox --- Arguing for Bringing Psychiatry into the Center of Medicine

China is a Major Mental Health research leader

​with ground-breaking work in understanding the neuro-Immune connection to psychiatric disorders.

Translational Medicine Friday

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with ground-breaking work in understanding the neuro-Immune connection to psychiatric disorders.