Scientists from the University of Manchester found there’s growing evidence that the herpes virus responsible for cold sores also may cause Alzheimer’s disease.
They found that treating people with antiviral drugs might actually protect them from dementia.
The research is published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and was conducted by Ruth Itzhaki et al.
It’s been long known that herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) can been found in the brains of elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease.
research has shown that herpes increases Alzheimer’s risk in people genetically predisposed to dementia.
In the study, the team found that the antiherpes antiviral drug acyclovir blocks HSV1 DNA replication, and reduces levels of beta-amyloid and of P-tau caused by HSV1 infection of cell cultures.
Beta-amyloid plaques and tangles of tau proteins are two of the hallmarks found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
But the effect that herpes may have on the brain is not yet fully understood, and it’s unlikely that the virus alone can explain all cases of Alzheimer’s.
Half of all adults carry the herpes simplex 1 virus, and 50 percent of the population isn’t getting Alzheimer’s disease, so it’s not a 1-to-1 correlation.
Herpes simplex virus 1 infects most humans in infancy, and remains dormant within the peripheral nervous system from then on. Stress can cause the virus to reactivate and, in some people, cause cold sores.
The researchers believe that herpes contributes to Alzheimer’s disease by migrating into the brains of elderly people as their immune system naturally declines.
Once it has infected the brain, HSV1 causes damage and inflammation in brain cells whenever it’s reactivated by events such as stress, immune suppression or infection by other microbes.
This damage is particularly bad in people with the APOE4 gene, which has been directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
while the link between herpes and Alzheimer’s is promising, clinical trials would be needed to show that antiviral treatment can effectively head off dementia in people.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the root cause of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s, and 5 steps to protect against Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about a noninvasive treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and results showing this stuff in mouth may help prevent Alzheimer’s.
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