In a balding scalp deep thinking increases inflammation?

I have noticed that deep thinking involving complex text reading and analytical work, seem to fire up scalp inflammation. Maybe this can also explain why some people incl. myself receed in temple more than the other, by way of hemispheric dominance.

cpio - I had a similar theory but yours sounds a little better that mine. Mine was that neurogenic inflammation would be heavier depending on what hemisphere of the brain was responsible for stress.

CS, those CB receptors are they present in the scalp or how do they play a part in scalp inflammation?

Do you think that compounds that inhibit inflammation in the microglia (inside the brain) will not work against hair loss related neurogenic inflammation? Specifically I am thinking luteolin, since it is present in white chrysanthemum flower, a herb used against hair loss in TCM.


Luteolin reduces IL-6 production in microglia by inhibiting JNK phosphorylation and activation of AP-1

Communicated by David H. Baker, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, March 25, 2008 (received for review January 31, 2008)

Abstract

Luteolin, a flavonoid found in high concentrations in celery and green pepper, has been shown to reduce production of proinflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated macrophages, fibroblasts, and intestinal epithelial cells. Because excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines by activated brain microglia can cause behavioral pathology and neurodegeneration, we sought to determine whether luteolin also regulates microglial cell production of a prototypic inflammatory cytokine, IL-6. Pretreatment of primary murine microlgia and BV-2 microglial cells with luteolin inhibited LPS-stimulated IL-6 production at both the mRNA and protein levels. To determine how luteolin inhibited IL-6 production in microglia, EMSAs were performed to establish the effects of luteolin on LPS-induced binding of transcription factors to the NF-κB and activator protein-1 (AP-1) sites on the IL-6 promoter. Whereas luteolin had no effect on the LPS-induced increase in NF-κB DNA binding activity, it markedly reduced AP-1 transcription factor binding activity. Consistent with this finding, luteolin did not inhibit LPS-induced degradation of IκB-α but inhibited JNK phosphorylation. To determine whether luteolin might have similar effects in vivo, mice were provided drinking water supplemented with luteolin for 21 days and then they were injected i.p. with LPS. Luteolin consumption reduced LPS-induced IL-6 in plasma 4 h after injection. Furthermore, luteolin decreased the induction of IL-6 mRNA by LPS in hippocampus but not in the cortex or cerebellum. Taken together, these data suggest luteolin inhibits LPS-induced IL-6 production in the brain by inhibiting the JNK signaling pathway and activation of AP-1 in microglia. Thus, luteolin may be useful for mitigating neuroinflammation.

cpio - Luteolin is good stuff but would not effect the neuropeptide/neurogenic inflammation that is associated with stress.

Neurogenic inflammation via neuropeptides such as Substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and others (there's about a hundred different types of neuropeptides) can be vasoactive and induce strong catagen stages in the hair follicle. They are located almost everywhere in the body, including the sebaceous glands.

This full study below pretty much explains how this inflammation occurs in the human hair follicle.

http://ajp.amjpathol.org/cgi/content/full/171/6/1872

Curcumin and Resveratrol in combination is the likely antidote for this problem.

Thanks, you are very helpful.