The Same Barrier Collapses Everywhere: Why Dysbiosis Causes ADHD, Brain Fog, Anxiety, Depression, and Chronic Fatigue Simultaneously—And Why You Can't Treat Them Separately The Discovery That Changes — Part 1: The Architecture—Why Your Barriers Are Actually One System

The Protein Identity You&#8217;ve Never Been Told Your intestinal epithelial barrier and your blood-brain barrier are built from the same molecular bricks. Not similar bricks. The same proteins. The tight junction complex in both barriers uses: Claudins (10 family members; claudin-2, claudin-15 dominate gut; claudin-5, claudin-3, claudin-12 dominate BBB) Occludin (ubiquitous in both) Zonula occludens proteins (ZO-1, ZO-2, ZO-3&#8212;identical in both barriers) JAM proteins (JAM-A, JAM-C&#8212;identical architecture) VE-cadherin/E-cadherin (adherens junction anchoring protein) But here&#8217;s the critical part: these proteins don&#8217;t act independently. They are regulated by the same transcription factors using the same upstream signaling pathways. In both barriers: NF-&#954;B activation &#8594; claudin/occludin/ZO-1 downregulation &#8594; barrier failure Nrf2 activation &#8594; claudin/occludin/ZO-1 upregulation &#8594; barrier restoration HDAC inhibition &#8594; histone acetylation &#8594; increased tight junction protein expression MMP-9 elevation (driven by NF-&#954;B) &#8594; proteolytic degradation of claudin, occludin, ZO-1 This means: when dysbiosis activates NF-&#954;B in the intestinal epithelium through bacterial LPS, the exact same NF-&#954;B activation occurs in the cerebral endothelium through circulating LPS and pro-inflammatory cytokines. You don&#8217;t get