Cold sore virus 'could lead to Alzheimer's disease'
'We can't ignore the evidence,' say scientists who claim dementia is linked to microbes in the brain
A panel of dementia experts has called for further investigation into a potential link between Alzheimer's disease and viruses such as herpes and the chlamydia bacteria.
In an editorial for the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 31 leading scientists and doctors accused the scientific establishment of overlooking evidence that dementia is linked to microbes in the brain.
Microbes from the herpes virus, which causes cold sores, and chlamydia bacteria are found at higher rates in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers, they claim.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Citing past cases where viral and bacterial microbes have caused dementia-like symptoms, the editorial argues that pathogens from infectious diseases could lie dormant in the brain for years before triggering the onset of Alzheimer's.
"These agents can undergo reactivation in the brain during ageing, as the immune system declines, and during different types of stress," the panel wrote.
Focusing more attention on the possibility of microbes as the answer to the Alzheimer's riddle could open up new treatments and bring science closer to a cure, they argue.
"There is incontrovertible evidence that Alzheimer's disease has a dormant microbial component," Professor Douglas Kell, one of the co-signatories, told the Daily Telegraph. "We can't keep ignoring all of the evidence."
The controversial editorial contradicts the mainstream view that dementia is linked to the build-up of proteins in the brain preventing neurons from communicating.
Professor John Hardy, an expert in neurological disease at University College London, stressed there is currently no convincing proof that infections cause Alzheimer's disease and told The Times the editorial "does not reflect what most researchers think".
Dr James Pickett, the head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, acknowledged that "there do appear to be more [microbes] in the brains of people who have died with Alzheimer's disease". However, he cautioned against making an explicit link without further research and assured the Telegraph that there is "no convincing evidence" that Alzheimer's disease is contagious.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 16, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - sleepyhead, little people, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How the transmission of Alzheimer's might be possible
The Explainer New research links dementia cases to injections of human growth hormone from deceased donors' brains
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Donanemab and seven other breakthroughs for Alzheimer’s and dementia in 2023
In Depth A new drug shows promising results in trials, but questions remain about whether benefits outweigh side effects
By The Week Staff Published
-
Neanderthal gene ‘caused up to a million Covid deaths’
Speed Read Genetic tweak found in one in six Britons means cells in the lungs are slower to launch defences
By The Week Staff Published
-
Legalising assisted dying: a complex, fraught and ‘necessary’ debate
Speed Read The Assisted Dying Bill – which would allow doctors to assist in the deaths of terminally ill patients – has relevance for ‘millions’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Vaccinating children: it’s decision time for the health secretary as kids return to school
Speed Read Sajid Javid readying NHS England to roll out jab for children over 12, amid fears infections will rocket
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
‘Vaccination blunts, but does not defeat’: exploring Israel’s fourth Covid wave
Speed Read Two months ago, face masks were consigned to bins. Now the country is in a ‘unique moment of epidemiological doubt’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Thousands told to self-isolate in Covid app pinging error, claims Whitehall whistleblower
Speed Read Source says Matt Hancock was privately told of the issue shortly before he resigned as health secretary
By The Week Staff Published
-
Record 5.45m people on NHS England waiting lists
Speed Read Health chief warns that crisis is nearing ‘boiling point’ as backlog grows
By The Week Staff Last updated