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FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) – A new research paper says that the herpes virus responsible for cold sores can also cause Alzheimer's disease.
It has long been known that the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) can be detected in the brains of elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, and research has shown that herpes increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease in people genetically predisposed to dementia, said researcher Ruth Itzhaki.
New data suggests that treating people with antiviral drugs could actually protect them from dementia, said Itzhaki, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Manchester in England.
"We found that antiviral antiviral drug acyclovir blocked the replication of HSV1 DNA and reduced beta-amyloid and P-tau levels caused by HSV1 infection of cell cultures" said Itzhaki. The beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein entanglements are two of the distinctive signs found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
But the effect that herpes could have on the brain is not yet fully understood and it is unlikely that the virus alone can explain all cases of Alzheimer's disease, said James Hendrix, director of the World Science Initiatives of the Alzheimer's Association.
Hendrix noted that half of adults carry the herpes simplex virus 1.
"We know that 50% of the population does not contract Alzheimer's disease, so it's not a one-to-one correlation," Hendrix said. "If we took the recommendation of the author of this article and gave everyone over 55 antiviral drugs, I do not think we would eliminate Alzheimer's disease." We could reduce it somewhat but I do not think we would eliminate Alzheimer's disease. "
The herpes simplex virus 1 infects most young humans and now remains in the peripheral nervous system, said Itzhaki. Stress can reactivate the virus and, in some people, cause cold sores.
Itzhaki and his colleagues think that herpes contributes to Alzheimer's disease by migrating into the brains of the elderly, with their immune systems naturally deteriorating.
According to Itzhaki, once he has infected the brain, HSV1 causes lesions and inflammation of the brain cells whenever it is reactivated by events such as stress, immune suppression or inflammation. infection by other microbes.
This damage is particularly severe in people with the APOE4 gene, directly linked to Alzheimer's disease, she said.
"The likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease is 12 times greater for APOE4 carriers with HSV1 [the herpes virus] in the brain only for those with no factor, "said Itzhaki.
"We suggest that repeated activation causes cumulative damage, eventually leading to Alzheimer's disease in people with an APOE4 allele," continued Itzhaki. "Presumably, in APOE4 carriers, Alzheimer's disease develops in the brain due to greater HSV1-induced toxic formation, or less repair." damage."
Dr. Sam Gandy is associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in New York. According to him, it is proven that viruses can have an effect on other diseases of the brain and nervous system, especially Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
"Probably the best evidence that viruses can contribute to major brain diseases comes from ALS, where they discovered not a herpes virus, but a retrovirus," Gandy said. "The peptides of the virus appeared in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with ALS, and when they treated these patients on antiretrovirals, they appeared to stabilize clinically."
Itzhaki said that a new study in Taiwan suggests that ridding the body of herpes with antivirals could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The results in Taiwan showed that the risk of dementia was much greater in people with herpes infections and that antiviral treatment resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of people who were severely infected with HSV-1, who developed following a dementia, said Itzhaki.
However, said Hendrix, the Taiwanese results can be explained in different ways. For example, it may not be antiviral drugs that have reduced dementia rates, but the fact that these specific patients generally benefit from better medical treatment.
"We know that better health care leads to lower rates of dementia," Hendrix said.
Gandy said that although the link between herpes and Alzheimer's disease is promising, clinical trials would be needed to show that antiviral therapy can actually counteract dementia in humans.
"There is plenty of circumstantial evidence.The definitive proof is to find living people who exhibit the virus and the symptoms of dementia, giving them antiviral and showing that their symptoms are stabilizing or s'. improve, "said Gandy.
New research tools will be needed, including a brain scanner that can specifically detect herpes in the brain, he added.
"We need to be able to find the virus as a warning flag, to tell us to start treatment, and then see if it has an impact on progression," Gandy said.
The new article was published online on October 19 in the journal Frontiers in Neuring Science.
More information
The World Health Organization has more information about the herpes simplex virus 1.
SOURCES: Ruth Itzhaki, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience, University of Manchester, United Kingdom; James Hendrix, Ph.D., Director of Global Science Initiatives, Alzheimer's Association; Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Director, Mount Sinai Alzheimer Disease Research Center, New York; October 19, 2018, Frontiers in Neuring Scienceonline
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