Alzheimer's Disease

There's a Colombian family that suffers an almost total susceptibility to Alzheimer's owing to a known genetic mutation, which is involved in a minor subset of all Alzheimer's cases. One woman in the family, however, managed to make it circa 3 decades longer than anyone else before showing signs of cognitive decline. It now seems this was due to her personal genetic mutation, and this might provide clues to how the malady operates.
Scientists Find Exceptional Woman Who Has Somehow Avoided Her Family's Alzheimer's Fate

Among the world's largest family to suffer from Alzheimer's, one older woman may hold the key to future prevention.

For generations, thousands of her relatives in the city of Medellín, Colombia, have been plagued by a genetic mutation (known as E280A) that leads to early onset dementia – what locals call "La Bobera", or "the foolishness".

This particular genetic quirk only impacts a small subset of Alzheimer's patients, many of whom live in this one city, and it almost always leads to cognitive decline, beginning as early as age 44.

For decades, neurologists have been fascinated by this mutation and the family that carries it. But of the 6,000 or so living members in this large extended clan, there's one individual who stands out.

Despite having the same genetic risk as many of her relatives and a brain filled with hallmark signs of Alzheimer's, this woman's memory has remained remarkably resilient.

In fact, neurologists say this lady did not show any signs of cognitive decline until she reached her 70s, which is three decades later than expected.

Now, researchers think they've figured out why, and it might have to do with another chance mutation. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/except...-colombian-woman-fated-to-develop-alzheimer-s
 
Grumpy, curious and non-conformist older folks - good news!
To protect your brain, don't be (too) kind!

Using brain imaging, a team from the University of Geneva and the HUG show that elderly people with low agreeableness are better protected against Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease, the main cause of dementia in the elderly, is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the irreversible destruction of neuronal networks in certain brain structures affecting memory. While some risk factors are known, such as hypertension or diabetes, the potential role of non-biological factors begins to be discovered. Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, demonstrated, through brain imaging and psycho-cognitive evaluations conducted over several years on a community-based cohort of elderly people, that certain personality traits protect brain structures against neuro-degeneration. Among them, people who are less agreeable but with a natural curiosity and little conformism show better preservation of the brain regions that tend to lose volume, both in normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease. These results, to be discovered in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, highlight the importance of taking personality into account in neuropsychiatric disorders and pave the way for more precise prevention strategies against neurodegeneration. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/udg-tp031220.php
 
Frideswide said:
I wonder if it is to do with being exposed to fewer people intimately?
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My first guess is "No", in large part because there's no mention (nor any reason to strongly suspect) the cited personality features necessarily correlate with the subject's number or depth of personal relationships.

It's too early to say much about this ... The researchers have only discovered the apparent clues, and the cited article mentions they're not sure how to explain these connections and / or any causative effects.

Having said that ...

The first thing that occurs to me is that these 3 personality traits or predilections all relate to pursuing things on one's own terms. Phrased another way, they all relate to someone who doesn't just passively "go with the flow" (of others' opinions or expectations). People who don't simply accede to a herd mentality have to invest effort in formulating / defending their views, pursuing their curiosity, and / or resisting conformity.

To the extent this additional effort involves or requires mental (and hence neural) activity it might be that these folks are thereby exercising their brains so as to somehow delay or avoid the degenerative decline more common in those who blend in, don't question / explore, and simply mirror everyone else around them.
 
EnolaGaia said:
Grumpy, curious and non-conformist older folks - good news!

people with low agreeableness are better protected against Alzheimer's disease.
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Maximus Otter:

“I'm gonna make it to heaven​
Light up the sky like a flame​
Fame​
I'm gonna live forever​
Baby, remember my name​

Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember, remember, remember, remember...”​

:eek:nick:​

maximus otter​
 
Drinking beer could improve your concentration and reduce risk of dementia, study claims

Although this is the Mirror's slight spin on it, I'm taking it as a green light to get 'em in. [it's actually about MHBA supplements rather than drinking]:

A new study by Japanese scientists suggests that the acid found in bitter hops, and known as MHBA, could be used to help combat dementia

Beer hops are good for the brain and can actually improve concentration and speed up thought processes, according to a new scientific study.

And perhaps surprisingly, those who took supplements containing bitter hop extracts, displayed better memory recall and were better able to solve mental puzzles.

It found that there was notable improvement in the cognitive function of participants after 12 weeks of taking the supplement.

Scientists based at Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine and the Fukushima Healthcare Center carried out the research on 100 otherwise healthy people aged 45 to 69 who had demonstrated Selective Cognitive Decline (SCD), defined as 'worsening memory loss'.

The scientists even found that MHBA appeared to improve energy metabolism in overweight subjects, suggesting it may help keep you trim as well.

The study has been published in the latest edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
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I've stuffed so many hops into my last few batches of Fürtwangler that my brain must be bulletproof by now.
 
Had a phone call from France this morning.
My wife's aunt died in the early hours.
She had been in poor health with diabetes for several years and had alzheimer's with severe dementia for the last couple of years, to the extent that any normal conversation had become impossible.
Uncle André described how she became strangely lucid and chatty just before her death.
I suppose it's something of a blessing that he was able to be there at the end and say goodbye.
What a dreadful disease though - steals your final years with a cruel brain-fog, but grants you a few moments of lucidity right at the end.
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Had a phone call from France this morning.
My wife's aunt died in the early hours.
She had been in poor health with diabetes for several years and had alzheimer's with severe dementia for the last couple of years, to the extent that any normal conversation had become impossible.
Uncle André described how she became strangely lucid and chatty just before her death.
I suppose it's something of a blessing that he was able to be there at the end and say goodbye.
What a dreadful disease though - steals your final years with a cruel brain-fog, but grants you a few moments of lucidity right at the end.
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Sorry to hear of your loss, BMCS.
 
News story in the paper today saying what the oldies always suspected (well, some of them): reading books and doing puzzles really does prevent Alzheimer's and even staves off its effects if you do contract it. So keep reading!
 
Newly published research indicates a demonstrable correlation linking sleep deprivation and / or sleep apnea with the risk for dementia generally and Alzheimer's specifically.
Link Between Alzheimer's Disease And Sleep Apnea Discovered in Brain Tissue

Decades before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are detected, molecular changes are afoot in the brain. Clumps of amyloid-beta and tangles of another protein called tau start to accumulate in places, becoming stark hallmarks of a gradual decline in brain health.

Alzheimer-like amyloid plaques have also been found in brain tissue samples of people diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder where a person's breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Now, a study has revealed a correlation in the locations of these clumpy proteins.

While scientists already knew the two conditions are related, this first-of-its-kind study provides the gritty details of brain involvement.

"We know that if you have sleep apnea in mid-life, you're more likely to develop Alzheimer's when you're older, and if you have Alzheimer's you are more likely to have sleep apnea than other people your age," said one of the research team, Stephen Robinson, a neuroscientist researching sleep disorders at RMIT University in Australia. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/link-b...se-and-sleep-apnea-discovered-in-brain-tissue

Bibliographic details and the abstract of the published research paper are accessible at:

https://academic.oup.com/sleep/adva...sleep/zsaa195/5909379?redirectedFrom=fulltext
 
Pretty great, though very sad, Radio 4 Archive Hour about Jonathan Miller here:
Link

He had a brilliant mind, but his worst fear was losing it to Alzheimer's, so in a horrible twist of fate, that's what he had in his last five years. He did want it to be recorded, however, to help others, and this programme by his son is the result.

There are some tips on how to avoid the condition: eat healthily, exercise, don't smoke, and make sure you can hear! If you're going deaf, get a hearing aid! Lack of communication can bring the disease about.
 
Newly published research results indicate Alzheimer's Disease propagation doesn't progress in the manner that was originally presumed.
Scientists Identify the Cause of Alzheimer’s Progression in the Brain – Very Different Than Previously Thought

For the first time, researchers have used human data to quantify the speed of different processes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease and found that it develops in a very different way than previously thought. Their results could have important implications for the development of potential treatments.

The international team, led by the University of Cambridge, found that instead of starting from a single point in the brain and initiating a chain reaction that leads to the death of brain cells, Alzheimer’s disease reaches different regions of the brain early. How quickly the disease kills cells in these regions, through the production of toxic protein clusters, limits how quickly the disease progresses overall. ...

By combining five different datasets and applying them to the same mathematical model, the researchers observed that the mechanism controlling the rate of progression in Alzheimer’s disease is the replication of aggregates in individual regions of the brain, and not the spread of aggregates from one region to another. ...

“The thinking had been that Alzheimer’s develops in a way that’s similar to many cancers: the aggregates form in one region and then spread through the brain,” said Dr. Georg Meisl from Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, the paper’s first author. “But instead, we found that when Alzheimer’s starts there are already aggregates in multiple regions of the brain, and so trying to stop the spread between regions will do little to slow the disease.” ...
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FULL STORY: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists...brain-very-different-than-previously-thought/

FULL RESEARCH REPORT: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abh1448
 
A massive survey and analysis of patient data indicates a correlation between Viagra (yes, Viagra ...) usage and an up to 70% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's. It will require further research to determine whether this statistical correlation reflects some sort of causal effect.
Giant Study Finds Viagra Is Linked to Almost 70% Lower Risk of Alzheimer's

According to a study led by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, taking sildenafil is tied to a nearly 70 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to non-users.

That's based on an analysis of health insurance claim data from over 7.2 million people, in which records showed that claimants who took the medication were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's over the next six years of follow up, compared to matched control patients who didn't use sildenafil.

It's important to note that observed associations like this – even on a huge scale – are not the same as proof of a causative effect. ...

Nonetheless, the researchers say the correlation shown here – in addition to other indicators in the study – is enough to identify sildenafil as a promising candidate drug for Alzheimer's disease, the viability of which can be explored in future randomized clinical trials designed to test whether causality does indeed exist. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/giant-...linked-to-almost-70-lower-risk-of-alzheimer-s
 
Here are the bibliographic details and abstract from the published survey study on Viagra and Alzheimer's.

Fang, J., Zhang, P., Zhou, Y. et al.
Endophenotype-based in silico network medicine discovery combined with insurance record data mining identifies sildenafil as a candidate drug for Alzheimer’s disease.
Nat Aging (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-021-00138-z

Abstract
We developed an endophenotype disease module-based methodology for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drug repurposing and identified sildenafil as a potential disease risk modifier. Based on retrospective case–control pharmacoepidemiologic analyses of insurance claims data for 7.23 million individuals, we found that sildenafil usage was significantly associated with a 69% reduced risk of AD (hazard ratio 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.25–0.39, P < 1.0 × 10–8). Propensity score-stratified analyses confirmed that sildenafil is significantly associated with a decreased risk of AD across all four drug cohorts tested (diltiazem, glimepiride, losartan and metformin) after adjusting for age, sex, race and disease comorbidities. We also found that sildenafil increases neurite growth and decreases phospho-tau expression in neuron models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with AD, supporting mechanistically its potential beneficial effect in AD. The association between sildenafil use and decreased incidence of AD does not establish causality, which will require a randomized controlled trial.

SOURCE: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-021-00138-z
 
EnolaGaia said:
A massive survey and analysis of patient data indicates a correlation between Viagra (yes, Viagra ...) usage and an up to 70% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's. It will require further research to determine whether this statistical correlation reflects some sort of causal effect.

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/giant-...linked-to-almost-70-lower-risk-of-alzheimer-s
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I wonder if it will be found to be to do with increasing circulation. Better movement of blood causing the platelets that build up and give rise to Alzheimers to be less capable of sticking together?

For the same sorts of reasons that exercise is said to be good for preventing Alzheimers.
 
Newly published research indicates certain bacteria can infiltrate the brain cavity via the nasal passages and trigger the production of the beta amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's Disease.
Bacteria in the Nose Can Sneak Into the Brain – May Increase Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

New research from Griffith University has shown that a bacterium commonly present in the nose can sneak into the brain and set off a cascade of events that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Associate Professor Jenny Ekberg and colleagues ... have discovered that the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the brain via the nerves of the nasal cavity. ...

While this bacterium often causes respiratory tract infections, it has also been found in the brain which has raised the question of whether it causes damage to the central nervous system. ...

“Our work has previously shown that several different species of bacteria can rapidly, within 24 hours, enter the central nervous system via peripheral nerves extending between the nasal cavity and the brain,” Associate Professor Ekberg said.

“With this background knowledge we were able to track how this new bacterium, Chlamydia pneumoniae can also sneak past the blood-brain barrier and quickly enter the brain.”

The new study shows that once the bacteria are in the central nervous system, the cells of the brain react within days by depositing beta amyloid peptide, the hallmark plaque of Alzheimer’s disease. ...
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FULL STORY: https://scitechdaily.com/bacteria-i...rain-may-increase-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/
 
Here are the bibliographic details and abstract from the published research report. The full report is accessible at the link below.

Chacko, A., Delbaz, A., Walkden, H. et al.
Chlamydia pneumoniae can infect the central nervous system via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and contributes to Alzheimer’s disease risk.
Sci Rep 12, 2759 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06749-9

Abstract
Chlamydia pneumoniae is a respiratory tract pathogen but can also infect the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, the link between C. pneumoniae CNS infection and late-onset dementia has become increasingly evident. In mice, CNS infection has been shown to occur weeks to months after intranasal inoculation. By isolating live C. pneumoniae from tissues and using immunohistochemistry, we show that C. pneumoniae can infect the olfactory and trigeminal nerves, olfactory bulb and brain within 72 h in mice. C. pneumoniae infection also resulted in dysregulation of key pathways involved in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis at 7 and 28 days after inoculation. Interestingly, amyloid beta accumulations were also detected adjacent to the C. pneumoniae inclusions in the olfactory system. Furthermore, injury to the nasal epithelium resulted in increased peripheral nerve and olfactory bulb infection, but did not alter general CNS infection. In vitro, C. pneumoniae was able to infect peripheral nerve and CNS glia. In summary, the nerves extending between the nasal cavity and the brain constitute invasion paths by which C. pneumoniae can rapidly invade the CNS likely by surviving in glia and leading to Aβ deposition.

SOURCE / FULL REPORT: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06749-9#citeas
 
This ScienceAlert essay by a medical researcher outlines his team's re-thinking of what Alzheimer's Disease represents. He also notes some other alternative theories about the maladly.
Alzheimer's Might Not Actually Be a Brain Disease, Expert Says

... For years, scientists have been focused on trying to come up with new treatments for Alzheimer's by preventing the formation of brain-damaging clumps of this mysterious protein called beta-amyloid.

In fact, we scientists have arguably got ourselves into a bit of an intellectual rut concentrating almost exclusively on this approach, often neglecting or even ignoring other possible explanations.

Regrettably, this dedication to studying the abnormal protein clumps has not translated into a useful drug or therapy. The need for a new "out-of-the-clump" way of thinking about Alzheimer's is emerging as a top priority in brain science.

My laboratory at the Krembil Brain Institute, part of the University Health Network in Toronto, is devising a new theory of Alzheimer's disease.

Based on our past 30 years of research, we no longer think of Alzheimer's as primarily a disease of the brain. Rather, we believe that Alzheimer's is principally a disorder of the immune system within the brain. ...

We believe that beta-amyloid is not an abnormally produced protein, but rather is a normally occurring molecule that is part of the brain's immune system. It is supposed to be there.

When brain trauma occurs or when bacteria are present in the brain, beta-amyloid is a key contributor to the brain's comprehensive immune response. And this is where the problem begins.

Because of striking similarities between the fat molecules that make up both the membranes of bacteria and the membranes of brain cells, beta-amyloid cannot tell the difference between invading bacteria and host brain cells, and mistakenly attacks the very brain cells it is supposed to be protecting.

This leads to a chronic, progressive loss of brain cell function, which ultimately culminates in dementia – all because our body's immune system cannot differentiate between bacteria and brain cells.

When regarded as a misdirected attack by the brain's immune system on the very organ it is supposed to be defending, Alzheimer's disease emerges as an autoimmune disease. ...

In addition to this autoimmune theory of Alzheimer's, many other new and varied theories are beginning to appear. For example, some scientists believe that Alzheimer's is a disease of tiny cellular structures called mitochondria ...

Mitochondria convert oxygen from the air we breathe and glucose from the food we eat into the energy required for remembering and thinking.

Some maintain that it is the end-result of a particular brain infection, with bacteria from the mouth often being suggested as the culprit. Still others suggest that the disease may arise from an abnormal handling of metals within the brain, possibly zinc, copper, or iron.

It is gratifying to see new thinking about this age-old disease. Dementia currently affects more than 50 million people worldwide, with a new diagnosis being made every three seconds. Often, people living with Alzheimer's disease are unable to recognize their own children or even their spouse of more than 50 years.

Alzheimer's is a public health crisis in need of innovative ideas and fresh directions. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/alzheimers-might-not-actually-be-a-brain-disease-expert-says
 
Recently published research on mice suggests picking your nose could increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.
Nose Picking Could Increase Risk for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Griffith University researchers have demonstrated that a bacteria can travel through the olfactory nerve in the nose and into the brain in mice, where it creates markers that are a tell-tale sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, showed that Chlamydia pneumoniae used the nerve extending between the nasal cavity and the brain as an invasion path to invade the central nervous system. The cells in the brain then responded by depositing amyloid beta protein which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor James St John ... is a co-author of the world first research.

“We’re the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain where it can set off pathologies that look like Alzheimer’s disease,” Professor St John said. “We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well.”

The olfactory nerve in the nose is directly exposed to air and offers a short pathway to the brain, one which bypasses the blood-brain barrier. It’s a route that viruses and bacteria have sniffed out as an easy one into the brain.

The team at the Center is already planning the next phase of research and aim to prove the same pathway exists in humans. ...
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FULL STORY: https://neurosciencenews.com/olfaction-nose-alzheimers-21742/

PUBLISHED RESEARCH REPORT:
Chacko, A., Delbaz, A., Walkden, H. et al. Chlamydia pneumoniae can infect the central nervous system via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and contributes to Alzheimer’s disease risk. Sci Rep 12, 2759 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06749-9

Open Access Report: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06749-9
 
EnolaGaia said:
...it might be that these folks are thereby exercising their brains so as to somehow delay or avoid the degenerative decline more common in those who blend in, don't question / explore, and simply mirror everyone else around them.
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In other words- avoiding watching 'daytime television' like the plague.
 
A sad case.

Neurologists at a memory clinic in China have diagnosed a 19-year-old with what they believe to be Alzheimer's disease, making him the youngest person to be diagnosed with the condition in the world.

The male teenager began experiencing memory decline around age 17, and the cognitive losses only worsened over the years.

Imaging of the patient's brain showed shrinkage in the hippocampus, which is involved in memory, and his cerebrospinal fluid hinted at common markers of this most common form of dementia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is often thought of as an old person's ailment, and yet early-onset cases, which include patients under the age of 65, account for up to 10 percent of all diagnoses.

Almost all patients under 30 years of age can have their Alzheimer's explained by pathological gene mutations, putting them into the category of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). The younger a person is when they receive a diagnosis, the more likely it is the result of a faulty gene they've inherited. ...

https://www.sciencealert.com/neurologists-diagnose-the-youngest-case-of-alzheimers-ever-reported
 
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