We Just Got More Evidence That Two Common Viruses Can Team Up to Trigger Alzheimer's



An experiment on model brains has provided more support for the idea that the herpes and chickenpox viruses can work together to induce Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at Tufts University and The University of Oxford assert they have just shown that the presence of two viruses simultaneously can induce an excess of proteins responsible for Alzheimer's disease's distinctive brain plaques, despite the fact that this assertion is still hotly contested.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Alzheimer's disease may be related, according to previous research. In addition to being present in large quantities in the brains of the elderly, HSV-1 has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in persons who also carry the gene for the disease.

The chicken pox virus varicella-zoster, which is similar to the herpes virus in that it can stay latent in nerve cells for years, can eventually manifest as shingles and cause havoc.

Although shingles seldom occurs more than once or twice in a lifetime, the ensuing inflammation may increase the risk of dementia. It was believed to be difficult enough to prevent Alzheimer's.

However, there are solid grounds for thinking the two illnesses are somehow related. According to population studies conducted in Taiwan, the UK, South Korea, and the US, getting vaccinated against the varicella-zoster virus may reduce your risk of developing dementia, for instance.

The scientists constructed a brain-like environment inside six-millimeter-wide doughnut-shaped sponges comprised of silk protein and collagen to better understand what might be occurring. These were filled with stem cells that developed into functional neurons and glial cells, which supported the neurons and kept them healthy.

There were no indications of an increase in the hallmark Alzheimer's proteins tau and beta amyloid when the model brain tissue was infected with varicella-zoster alone.

However, if the herpes simplex virus was already asleep in the neurons, exposure to the varicella-zoster virus resulted in its reactivation.

A major rise in the Alzheimer's disease-related proteins tau and beta-amyloid, as well as a delay in the signals from the neurons, were observed after this two-pronged onslaught.

According to lead author and biomedical engineer Dana Cairns from Tufts University, "It's a one-two punch of two viruses that are very common and typically harmless, but the lab studies suggest that if a new exposure to varicella-zoster virus wakes up dormant herpes simplex virus, they could cause trouble."

Plaques, which are aberrant collections of protein fragments that interfere with nerve signaling, can form when beta-amyloid proteins accumulate in the brain. Microtubules are often kept in straight lines by the protein tau. Microtubules begin to twist and tangle as tau degenerates in dementia patients, depleting cells of nutrition.

Since medications designed to prevent plaque development have fallen short of expectations, it is unclear exactly how these two proteins may be connected to Alzheimer's. But because they characterize the illness, they also serve as a blatant warning sign that something is wrong.

Because creating brain-like tissue outside the human body is a somewhat artificial environment, some experts who were not engaged in the study have emphasized that the experiment does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this interaction is what causes Alzheimer's disease.

They contend that other viruses may also be involved in the condition because the inflammation, a result of viral infection, is what causes the problem rather than the particular virus.

According to Paresh Malhotra, a neurologist at Imperial College London, "These are laboratory data and do not clearly connect these viruses as the main cause of Alzheimer's disease, but the discoveries are important and should continue to drive research."

Future research will very definitely reveal the precise roles viruses play in the intricate chain of occurrences that results in the neuron degeneration that causes the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Senior author of the study and biomedical engineer David Kaplan from Tufts University says, "We know there is a correlation between HSV-1 and Alzheimer's disease, and some suggested involvement of varicella-zoster virus, but what we didn't know is the sequence of events that the viruses create to set the disease in motion."

"We believe we currently have proof of those incidents,"

The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease .

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do You Sleep on Your Back or Side? Here's The Research on 'Optimal' Sleep Positions

Image
William Dement, a renowned sleep researcher at Stanford University, is quoted as saying that after 50 years of study, the only reason he can think of for why we sleep is "because we become sleepy." Sleep certainly matters for our health and wellbeing even though it may be, as one researcher put it, "the sole major habit in quest of a function." Do we, however, have it right? What do studies on sleeping positions say? Is there a proper sleeping position? The majority of people favor sleeping on their side. This is encouraging news because people who sleep on their backs are more likely to have trouble falling asleep or breathing during the night. Most of the time, we have a tendency to shift around quite a bit at night. According to a study involving 664 sleepers, on average, participants slept on their side 54% of the time, their back 37% of the time, and their front 7% of the time. Males are more likely to change positions throughout the night and move their arms, ...
Read more

The Science of Beards

Image
Here are a few facts that scientists have learned about beards as the world prepares to celebrate amazing facial hair on World Beard Day (September 3). Strong Manly Beard Men who have beards appear to be more dominant, aggressive, and strong, according to numerous studies[1][2][3] that have been conducted. In fact, men claim that growing facial hair makes them feel[4] more manly. Men who choose to grow beards tend to have higher testosterone levels than men who choose to keep their faces clean-shaven, according to research. They are also more likely to be hostile sexists, or to support the patriarchy and male dominance, as well as to believe that women belong in the kitchen, according to research on this topic. The beards (and muscles) on these males might be used to enforce gender roles. Professor R. D. Guthrie proposed in his book "Evolution of human threat display organs" from the 1970s that beards could be utilized to scare male rivals by improving aggressive and threaten...
Read more

Scientists Uncover a Surprising Connection Between Appetite and Sun Exposure

Image
Recent studies from Tel Aviv University show that women are not affected by sun exposure on their hunger levels, but males are. The study shows how the metabolic pathway is engaged differently in men and women. It was carried out utilizing lab models. Males of both animal and human species, as well as those exposed to the sun, are reportedly triggered to produce a protein called p53 that repairs any DNA damage that may have been done to the skin as a result of the exposure. The body produces the hunger-inducing hormone ghrelin in response to p53 activation. In females, the hormone estrogen stops p53 from interacting with ghrelin, preventing the desire to eat after being in the sun. The ground-breaking investigation was directed by professor Carmit Levy and Ph.D. candidate Shivang Parikh of the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. In addition to the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov), Assuta, Meir, and Sheba Medical Centers, Drs. Yiftach Gepne...
Read more