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- The direct causes of Alzheimer's disease are not well understood.
- New research suggests that it could be caused by a bacterium causing gum disease.
- Higher rates of Porphyromonas gingivalis have been found in brains with Alzheimer's disease compared to others.
- Other bacterial and viral infections have also been linked to Alzheimer's disease.
- The disease is probably caused by a number of factors, including infections, genetics and lifestyle.
Contrary to what many people think, dementia is not an inevitable part of aging. It is caused by diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and is the fifth leading cause of death in the world.
Alzheimer's disease is preventable in some cases, but the problem is that its direct causes are not fully understood.
However, new research published in Science Advances suggests that Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacterium that causes chronic gum disease, may play a role.
Read more:New study suggests that herpes can play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease – relaunch a controversial theory about the cause of the disease
The researchers found that people with Alzheimer's disease had higher concentrations of proteins produced by P. gingivalis in their brains. In addition, in experiments on mice, those infected with P. gingivalis exhibited dementia symptoms at an early stage and exhibited more inflammation, neural lesions, and amyloid plaques in their brains.
The new study, conducted by pharmaceutical company Cortexyme, also found that 91% and 96% of the Alzheimer's brains sampled were contaminated with two toxic proteins used by P. gingivalis to damage human tissue. The protein concentration was "significantly higher" in brain samples from people with Alzheimer's disease.
Sim Singhrao, of Central Lancashire University, told New Scientist that it was the first time that research had shown how these enzymes could kill neurons and cause dementia.
The company has now developed a drug that could eliminate this bacterial infection and stop brain damage. It is currently being tested in clinical trials.
"This gives hope to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease one day," added Singhrao.
This research is exciting and adds to what researchers already know about the potential role of bacteria in the development of Alzheimer's disease. But it's at a very early stage. According to Alzheimer UK, there is "not enough evidence to know if treating infections would be a good strategy for treating Alzheimer's or reducing the risk of the disease".
A 2004 study suggested that people with mild-to-moderate dementia had a lower loss of thinking ability when taking antibiotics. But this has not been reproduced in a subsequent trial.
Last June, a controversial theory about the causes of Alzheimer's disease was reignited. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai discovered that 622 brains of people with signs of Alzheimer's disease had a level of herpes virus twice as high as that of the 322 of those who did not have one.
In addition to herpes, pneumonia and other bacteria have also been badociated with Alzheimer's disease through the sequencing of brain tissue DNA.
However, as Alzheimer UK points out, it is not yet clear whether bacterial or viral infections could trigger Alzheimer's disease or vice versa.
A new scientist reported that a Melbourne team was developing a vaccine against P. gingivalis.
"A vaccine against gum disease would be welcome – but if it also stops Alzheimer's disease, the impact could be huge," says the article.
Read more:There is now even more evidence linking poor sleep and signs of Alzheimer's disease
Overall, Alzheimer's disease is probably caused by a number of factors, including genetics and lifestyle. For example, another new study from the University of Washington Medical School in St. Louis showed that lack of sleep could be linked to the formation of more toxic tau tufts in the brain – a vital protein that keeps the shape of the brain cells but getting tangled up and around the nerve cells if there are too many.
"What's interesting in this study is that it suggests that real factors, such as sleep, could affect how quickly the disease spreads in the brain," said David Holtzman, the key author of the study.
"We know that sleep problems and Alzheimer's disease are badociated in part with a different protein from Alzheimer's disease, beta-amyloid, but this study shows that sleep disturbances cause an increase in rapid tau protein, a harmful protein, and its spread over time. "
There is no definite answer to the cause of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, but it is clear that the more we have pieces of the puzzle, the better.
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