← All stories
Health, Longevity & Biohacking

Top Psychiatrist Claims Medical Schools Still Teach False Blood-Brain Barrier Theory

ZOE Science & Nutrition · What inflammation is really doing to your mind, body and 5 ways to protect your brain | Prof Ed Bullmore · June 11, 2026
Top Psychiatrist Claims Medical Schools Still Teach False Blood-Brain Barrier Theory
ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE Science & Nutrition
What inflammation is really doing to your mind, body and 5 ways to protect your brain | Prof Ed Bullmore
"When I was at medical school, which was in the 1980s, one of the things we were taught as a matter of fact is that the brain is somehow protected from the immune system. The jargon for it was the brain is immune privileged. It sort of sits outside the immune system. And that was supposed to be because it was protected by this thing called the blood-brain barrier. To be honest, it doesn't really exist."
Ed Bullmore reveals that medical schools continue teaching that the blood-brain barrier completely protects the brain from immune system activity, a concept he says is fundamentally false. He explains that inflammatory hormones and white blood cells can cross this barrier, meaning bodily inflammation directly affects brain function. This outdated teaching has led generations of doctors to miss the physical causes of mental health symptoms.
From this episode
ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE Science & Nutrition

What inflammation is really doing to your mind, body and 5 ways to protect your brain | Prof Ed Bullmore

August 3, 2026 · 5 Egleze moments
Read episode summary and key points →

More moments from this episode

Health, Longevity & BiohackingExercise Shows Equal Effectiveness to Antidepressants in Clinical Trials for DepressionHealth, Longevity & BiohackingPsychiatrist Admits GPs Prescribe Antidepressants Within Minutes Without Investigating Physical CausesHealth, Longevity & BiohackingPsychiatrist Reveals 30% of Severe Depression Cases Have Major Inflammatory ComponentHealth, Longevity & BiohackingGum Disease Directly Linked to Accelerated Dementia Risk Through Brain Inflammation
More stories More from ZOE Science & Nutrition