A virus that can cause an infection in the gut and travel from there to the brain may be important in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests.
Existing antiviral drugs could be looked at to treat or prevent this type of Alzheimer’s disease, said researchers at Arizona State University in the US.
Most people are thought to be exposed to cytomegalovirus (HCMV), one of the nine viruses that cause herpes (painful skin blisters) in the first few decades of their lives. The virus is usually transmitted through bodily fluids and spreads only when it is active.
Published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the study found that in some people the herpes-causing virus can remain active in the gut, from where it can travel to the brain via the vagus nerve, which connects the gut. and the brain.
Once in the brain, the virus can alter the immune system and contribute to changes in related cells Alzheimer’s diseaseThe researchers explained.
The researchers noted that the herpes-causing virus is recognized by immune cells in the brain, called microglia, which activate a specific gene called ‘CD83’. The virus can contribute to biological changes in the brain, which are known to be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease – a neurodegenerative disorder that progressively worsens brain function, such as memory and cognitive abilities, as one ages.
“We have identified a biologically unique subtype of Alzheimer’s disease that affects 25-45% of people,” said first author and research associate professor Ben Readhead of Arizona State University.
The gut-brain axis is being studied extensively (? Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
“This subtype includes the hallmark amyloid plaques and tau tangles — microscopic brain abnormalities used for diagnosis — and features a distinct biological profile involving viruses, antibodies and immune cells in the brain,” Readhead added.
For the study, researchers analyzed spinal fluid from Alzheimer’s patients and found antibodies specifically in response to the herpes-causing virus. They also found evidence that the same virus had infected the intestines and brain tissue of these people.
Furthermore, the team observed the herpes virus within the patients’ vagus nerve, suggesting that it may have a route to the brain.
In another group of Alzheimer’s patients, the researchers were able to replicate this Union between intestinal infection and CD83(+) microglia.
A previous study by the researchers analyzed the brains of Alzheimer’s patients post-mortem and found that these patients were specifically more likely to harbor CD83(+) microglia.
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