Common Viruses May Be Triggering the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

AHA Publisher — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 07:00:09 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – Alzheimer’s disease can begin almost imperceptibly, often masquerading in the early months or years as forgetfulness that is common in older age. What causes the disease remains largely a mystery. But researchers at Tufts University and the University of Oxford, using a three-dimensional human tissue culture model mimicking the brain, have shown that varicella zoster virus (VZV), which commonly causes chickenpox and shingles, may activate herpes simplex (HSV), another common virus, to set in motion the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Normally HSV-1 – one of the main variants of the virus – lies dormant within the neurons of the brain, but when it is activated it leads to accumulation of tau and amyloid beta proteins, and loss of neuronal function—signature features found in patients with Alzheimer’s. “Our results suggest one pathway to Alzheimer’s disease, caused by a VZV infection which creates inflammatory triggers that awaken HSV in the brain,” said Dana Cairns, GBS12, a research associate in the Biomedical Engineering Department. “While we demonstrated a link between VZV and HSV-1 activation, it’s possible that other inflammatory events in the brain could also awaken HSV-1 and lead to Alzheimer’s disease.” The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Viruses Lying in Wait “We have been working off a lot of established evidence that HSV has been linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in patients,” said David Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts’ School of Engineering. One of the first to hypothesize a connection between herpes virus and Alzheimer’s disease is Ruth Itzhaki of the University of Oxford, who collaborated with the Kaplan lab on this study. “We know there is a correlation between HSV-1 and Alzheimer’s disease, and some suggested involvement of VZV, but what we didn’t know is the sequence of events that the viruses create to set the disease in motion,” he said. “We think we now have evidence of those events.” According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 have been infected with HSV-1—the virus that causes oral herpes. In most cases it is asymptomatic, lying dormant within nerve cells. When activated, it can cause inflammation in nerves and skin, causing painful open sores and blisters. Most carriers—and that’s one in two Americans according to the CDC—will have between very mild to no symptoms before the virus becomes dormant. Varicella zoster virus is also extremely common, with about 95 percent of people having been infected before the age of 20. Many of those cases are expressed as chicken pox. VZV, which is a form of herpes virus, can also remain in the body, finding its way to nerve cells before then becoming dormant. Later in life, VZV can be reactivated to cause shingles, a disease characterized by blisters and nodules in the skin that form in a band-like pattern and can be very painful, lasting for weeks or even months. One in three people will eventually develop a case of shingles in their lifetime. The link between HSV-1 and Alzheimer’s disease only occurs when HSV-1 has been reactivated to cause sores, blisters, and other painful inflammatory conditions. How Sleeping Viruses May Wake To better understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the viruses and Alzheimer’s disease, the Tufts researchers re-created brain-like environments in small 6 millimeter-wide donut-shaped sponges made of silk protein and collagen. They populated the sponges with neural stem cells that grow and become functional neurons capable of passing signals to each other in a network, just as they do in the brain. Some of the stem cells also form glial cells, which are typically found in the brain and help keep the neurons alive and functioning. The researchers found that neurons grown in the brain tissue can be infected with VZV, but that alone did not lead to the formation of the signature Alzheimer’s proteins tau and beta-amyloid—the components of the tangled mess of fibers and plaques that form in Alzheimer’s patients’ brains—and that the neurons continued to function normally. However, if the neurons already harbored quiescent HSV-1, the exposure to VZV led to a reactivation of HSV, and a dramatic increase in tau and beta-amyloid proteins, and the neuronal signals begin to slow down. “It’s a one-two punch of two viruses that are very common and usually harmless, but the lab studies suggest that if a new exposure to VZV wakes up dormant HSV-1, they could cause trouble,” said Cairns. “It’s still possible that other infections and other pathways of cause and effect could lead to Alzheimer’s disease, and risk factors such as head trauma, obesity, or alcohol consumption suggest they may intersect at the re-emergence of HSV in the brain,” she added. The researchers observed that the VZV infected samples started to produce a higher level of cytokines—proteins which are often involved in triggering an inflammatory response. Kaplan noted that VZV is known in many clinical cases to cause inflammation in the brain, which could possibly lead to activation of dormant HSV and increased inflammation. Repeat cycles of HSV-1 activation can lead to more inflammation in the brain, production of plaques, and accumulation of neuronal and cognitive damage. A vaccine for VZV—to prevent chickenpox and shingles—has also been shown to considerably reduce the risk of dementia. It’s possible that the vaccine is helping to stop the cycle of viral reactivation, inflammation, and neuronal damage. The researchers also noted the long-term neurological effects that some COVID patients have experienced from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, particularly among the elderly, and that both VZV and HSV-1 can be reactivated after a COVID infection. Keeping an eye on possible follow-on cognitive effects and neurodegeneration would be advisable in these cases, they said. To read the original article click here.

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NEW Study Reveals SURPRISING Cause of Multiple Sclerosis

AHA Publisher — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 08:00:27 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks their central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. It can lead to a wide range of signs and symptoms, from numbness and weakness in the limbs to blurry vision to bowel and bladder problems. There are still so many unknowns about MS, which affects about 2.6 to 2.8 million people worldwide. But recent research from Harvard University points to an unexpected potential cause: the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). New Harvard Study Sheds Light on Potential Cause of MS: A Common Herpes Virus Led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a study recently found a “high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis.” Senior author Alberto Ascherio said in an article published by Harvard that the “hypothesis that EBV causes MS has been investigated by our group and others for several years, but this is the first study providing compelling evidence of causality.” The evidence came from an analysis of serum samples taken from 10 million U.S. soldiers over 20 years. Of this cohort, around 1,000 were diagnosed with MS during their period of service. After establishing the soldiers’ EBV status at the time of their first serum sample and tracking their medical histories, the Harvard researchers determined that the risk of MS was 32 times greater after infection with EBV. Interestingly, this increased risk of MS “was not increased after infection with other viruses.” What’s more, the authors found that the serum levels of a biomarker of nerve damage typical in MS patients increased only after EBV infection. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that their data indicate EBV is “the leading cause of MS.” Right now, there is no way to prevent or treat EBV infection, Ascherio says to Harvard, but suggests that specific drugs or vaccines against EBV may help “prevent or cure” MS. Never Heard of the Epstein-Barr Virus Before? Here Are Three Things to Know Epstein-Barr isn’t a virus we hear about very often in the media, even though it is pervasive. To help you understand more about this virus, here are three things you might not know about Epstein-Barr: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a member of the herpes virus family that spreads easily, primarily via bodily fluids such as saliva, semen, and blood. A person can become infected with EBV by sharing food, drinks, utensils, and toothbrushes with someone who already has it. It really is extremely common. According to Science Daily, around 90 percent of all people will be infected with EBV at some point in their lifetime, but usually with no adverse effects. Most people who contract EBV will not go on to develop MS. Other diseases or illnesses already associated with EBV infection include infectious mononucleosis (“mono”) and certain types of cancer, including Hodgkin lymphoma. Signs and symptoms of an acute EBV infection, which usually occurs in childhood, are similar to those seen in other viral infections, including fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, enlarged spleen and liver, and a skin rash. But while acute infections are often easy to recognize, chronic, low-grade infections are much more difficult to identify. If you suspect that EBV may be wreaking havoc in your body, seeking out an integrative physician may be your best bet, as they tend to be more familiar with how EBV infections work. They understand that after exposure, EBV lies dormant in your body, even after the initial symptoms subside. As long as your immune system is robust and you are healthy, your body’s specialized immune cells will keep the virus dormant. But when your immune system becomes compromised, EBV can come out of hiding and become reactivated. Keeping your immune function strong is a critical part of tackling EBV infections. So, make your health a top priority. After all, it’s a great foundation for a good life. Sources for this article include: MayoClinic.org Harvard.edu Science.org NationalMSsociety.org CDC.gov Cancerresearchuk.org Cell.com Sciencedaily.com NIH.gov

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Common Viruses May Be Triggering the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

NEW Study Reveals SURPRISING Cause of Multiple Sclerosis