Sep 14, 2026 · 38 min · 12 segments
Most conversations about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome focus on joint hypermobility, ligament laxity, pain, and the musculoskeletal system. But is that enough to explain the brain fog, fatigue, dizziness…
Spencer ZimmermanHostEhlers-Danlos Syndrome is something that has gained a lot of attention over the past few years.
But most of the conversation is always going to be about joint stability, ligament laxity, and the musculoskeletal side.
The question is, is this really where all the attention should be, or should we be looking beyond the musculoskeletal effects, specifically with an emphasis on what actually happens through a neurological basis? So what we are going to do is review a research article that's titled Neurobiological and Neuropsychological Disturbance in EDS, published in 2025.
Now, what we are going to be going over is briefly the different subtypes of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
They're going to look at different research as far as brain structural changes with Arnold Chiari malformations, cranial cervical instability, small fiber neuropathy, and then potential issues within blood-brain barrier and vascular.
Also going to look at how this ties in from a mechanistic standpoint to impact mental health, neurological function and this may be due to inflammation pain or even altered interoception basically the way things are perceived neurologically as information comes in so first As it says, Historically, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome has been characterized by musculoskeletal problems such as recurrent joint dislocations, hypermobility, hyperextensibility, soft tissue issues, dermatological features, so that's your skin, increased elasticity, fragility of skin.
It's always been about what you can pretty much observe or musculoskeletal.
As they say, there is evidence that suggests it goes far beyond this, specifically neurological, neuropsychological functions.
And this is why you, if you read my stuff, you watch some of the other videos or podcasts, I talk a lot about the neurological side of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which we will get into.
And what does the evidence show? Well, there can be changes in brain structure, autonomic nervous system regulation.
This is why about 25% of individuals with POTS will have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Okay, so first, before we really get into the neurological side, it's important to understand that there are 13 different subtypes.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is something that has gained a lot of attention over the past few years.
But most of the conversation is always going to be about joint stability, ligament laxity, and the musculoskeletal side.
The question is, is this really where all the attention should be, or should we be looking beyond the musculoskeletal effects, specifically with an emphasis on what actually happens through a neurological basis? So what we are going to do is review a research article that's titled Neurobiological and Neuropsychological Disturbance in EDS, published in 2025.
Now, what we are going to be going over is briefly the different subtypes of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
They're going to look at different research as far as brain structural changes with Arnold Chiari malformations, cranial cervical instability, small fiber neuropathy, and then potential issues within blood-brain barrier and vascular.
Also going to look at how this ties in from a mechanistic standpoint to impact mental health, neurological function and this may be due to inflammation pain or even altered interoception basically the way things are perceived neurologically as information comes in so first As it says, Historically, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome has been characterized by musculoskeletal problems such as recurrent joint dislocations, hypermobility, hyperextensibility, soft tissue issues, dermatological features, so that's your skin, increased elasticity, fragility of skin.
It's always been about what you can pretty much observe or musculoskeletal.
As they say, there is evidence that suggests it goes far beyond this, specifically neurological, neuropsychological functions.
And this is why you, if you read my stuff, you watch some of the other videos or podcasts, I talk a lot about the neurological side of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which we will get into.
And what does the evidence show? Well, there can be changes in brain structure, autonomic nervous system regulation.
This is why about 25% of individuals with POTS will have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Okay, so first, before we really get into the neurological side, it's important to understand that there are 13 different subtypes.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
