What Is New(s) In Our Search For The Cure?

One of the biggest stories currently in health news is the discovery of a possible link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s. The study published in Sciences Advances reports that a type of bacteria associated with gum disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

A team of researchers led by Vladimir Ilievski at the University of Illinois at Chicago have reported a close association between periodontitis and cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Does Gum Disease Cause Alzheimer’s?

This is not the first time we have reported a relationship between infection and AD (see, for example, IS ALZHEIMER’S AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE? And HOPE ON THE HORIZON — JUNE 26, 2018). On the other hand, this study makes a much stronger case for causation than did previous reports associating infectious agents.

The current study also demonstrates in mice how infection moves from the mouth to the brain. Perhaps most significantly, the authors’ hypothesize that neural damage results when the P. gingivalis viruses secrete gingipains, an enzyme which causes neural damage. Inhibition of the gingipains might result in a way to treat AD.

A related study reported in ScienceDaily found a potential association between bacteria and microbes in the intestines (gut microbiota). Comparing the microbiota between 128 dementia and non-dementia patients found that beneficial Bacteroides were lower in those with dementia.

This is exciting in that it gives science a new direction in which to proceed. Plaques and tangles are always present in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, but there is substantial evidence that the evolutionary role of ß-amyloid is to protect the brain against infection. The sticky plaques associated with AD is the result of this mechanism gone wrong.

This would reinforce the hypothesis that the amyloid plaques and fibrillary tangles of Alzheimer’s are symptoms of the disease rather than the cause.

— READ MORE»  ALZHEIMER’S AS AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE —

The Road to a Cure for Alzheimer’s

Will this possible connection between gum disease and Alzheimer’s disease lead to a cure? Perhaps. But it may not. It is significant that scientists are becoming increasingly open to investigate possible causes beyond the amyloid hypothesis.