A surprising new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be much less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
This discovery could help scientists better understand how Alzheimer’s works—and even lead to new ways to treat or prevent it.
MS is a disease where the body’s immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. This can lead to many symptoms, such as trouble walking, fatigue, and problems with thinking and memory. Alzheimer’s disease is different.
It causes the brain to slowly break down over time and is linked to the build-up of sticky proteins called amyloid plaques. These plaques are believed to cause memory loss and confusion.
The research team was led by Dr. Matthew Brier, a neurologist and radiologist. He explained that something about the biology or genetics of MS might protect people from developing Alzheimer’s. “If we can figure out what that protective factor is,” he said, “it could help us find new treatments for Alzheimer’s.”
The idea for the study came from Dr. Anne Cross, who has treated MS patients for many years. She noticed something strange: her MS patients almost never developed Alzheimer’s, even when they were old enough or had a family history of the disease. This led her to team up with Dr. Brier and other researchers to investigate further.
To test the idea, the team used a new blood test called PrecivityAD2. This test was developed at Washington University and can detect amyloid plaques in the brain without needing a brain scan or spinal tap.
The researchers tested 100 people with MS and compared their results with 300 people who didn’t have MS but were similar in age and risk factors for Alzheimer’s.
The results were clear. People with MS were about 50% less likely to have amyloid plaques in their brains than those without MS. This supported what Dr. Cross had noticed in her patients.
Even more interesting, people with a more typical form of MS—meaning they were diagnosed at a younger age and had more flare-ups and faster disease progression—were the least likely to show signs of amyloid plaques. This suggests that something about the immune activity in MS might help clear or prevent the plaques that cause Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Brier believes that brain immune cells called microglia might play a role. In animal studies, activated microglia have been shown to clear amyloid plaques from the brain. The immune response during MS flare-ups may do something similar in humans.
The research team now plans to look more closely at the genes of people with MS to see if specific genetic factors are involved. They also want to study animal models of MS to see how amyloid plaques develop in those cases.
While more research is needed, these early findings offer new hope. Understanding why people with MS seem to be protected from Alzheimer’s could one day help scientists develop better ways to prevent or treat the disease in everyone.
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