Medicine
Hepatic Encephalopathy: Pathophysiology and Treatment Algorithms
Quick fact
In hepatic encephalopathy, a failing liver allows ammonia to cross the blood-brain barrier, where it is taken up by astrocytes, causing them to swell and disrupting neurotransmission—this can lead to symptoms from mild confusion to coma.
Why this is interesting
Your liver is your body's detox factory—so what happens when it fails, and your brain starts to be poisoned by its own waste?