Scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that Alzheimer’s disease’s effects are far broader in the body than researchers realized.
The research is published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and was conducted by Winston A. Hide et al.
Nearly 6 million older adults have Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, a number expected to double by 2050.
Already the sixth leading cause of death, Alzheimer’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease that causes memory loss, confusion, poor judgment, depression, delusions, and agitation that robs people of their ability to live independently.
Currently, the biological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease are poorly understood; as a result, there are few effective treatments and no cure for the disease.
In the study, the team conducted a systematic assessment of more than 200,000 scientific publications to understand the breadth and diversity of biological pathways that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
They found that, while nearly all known pathways have been linked to the disease, the most frequently associated biological mechanisms—including those related to the immune system, metabolism, and long-term depression—have not strongly changed in 30 years, despite major technological advances.
The findings suggest that not only is this disorder incredibly complex, but its pathology includes most known biological pathways.
The team says given that an unexpected diversity of pathways is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a wide range of disease processes are not being successfully targeted in clinical trials.
They hypothesize that comprehensively targeting more of the associated underlying mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease will increase the chances of success in future drug trials.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease, and this anti-seizure drug could improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about how to sleep to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, and results showing antioxidants may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
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