By Ali Moresco

For years, people living with Lyme disease and other infection-associated chronic illnesses have reported cognitive decline, mood changes, memory problems, and unexplained psychiatric symptoms. Yet these symptoms are routinely dismissed as psychological rather than biological.

At the 2nd Annual Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI) & PCOM Symposium, a new conversation is reshaping that understanding.

In a special live recording of Pathobiome Perspectives, author and Galaxy Diagnostics CEO Nicole Bell shares how her family’s search for answers revealed the role of infection in her late husband Russ’s devastating neurological decline.

What lab tests later showed

In her presentation, “When the brain pathobiome becomes personal,” Bell describes laboratory findings from Russ’s donated brain, including:

• Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme)
• Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Babesia otocoli (previously thought to be deer-restricted)
• Elevated heavy metals (lead and mercury)

These data, now being prepared for publication, reinforce a growing scientific model: polymicrobial infection and toxic exposures may converge to drive neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.

Bell also outlines why so many patients fall through the cracks:

• Standard two-tier Lyme serology can miss true infection, especially in late-stage disease
• Direct detection methods can identify active pathogens that serology overlooks
• Bartonella and Babesia must be considered alongside Lyme when neuropsychiatric symptoms appear

She highlights hallmark Bartonella clues often mistaken for psychological disorders — irritability, anxiety, OCD, tics, vision changes, and stretch-mark-like striæ — noting that exposure risk extends beyond ticks to fleas and household cats. Bell advocates for precision diagnostics that assess pathogen load, immune dysfunction, and toxic exposures together, rather than in isolation.

A turning point for chronic illness science

Bell’s story underscores a pivotal shift: what looks psychiatric or “idiopathic” may be a complex, biologically driven pathobiome process — and recognizing it early could change outcomes.

Tune in to this episode of Pathobiome Perspectives, presented in collaboration with Tick Boot Camp and LymeDisease.org, to learn how cutting-edge research could transform our understanding of chronic illness and cognition–and offer hope to millions navigating life through the haze.

Pathobiome Perspectives was developed in collaboration with the Pathobiome Research Center at PCOM, led by Founding Director Nikki Schultek, and Director Dr. Brian Balin and the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (CCDA).

New episodes of Pathobiome Perspectives will roll out every Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Central.

Ali Moresco is a tick-borne disease survivor, advocate, speaker and founder of Moresco PR, a healthcare communications firm. She also serves as Executive Board Chair of Project Lyme. You can connect with Ali on Instagram at @AliTMoresco or on YouTube.