“An increase in brain
inflammation, such as that caused by age, diabetes and obesity, is known to
increase risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Now scientists at UK's
Southampton University are about to start a three-year study, using brain
tissue generously donated by people who died with Alzheimer's disease, to see
if inflammation caused by infections such as those of the urinary tract or
chest, also speeds up progress of the disease.” – medical news today
In an announcement released on Wednesday, study leader
Delphine Boche, Lecturer in Clinical Neurosciences at Southampton, says: "Many
of the known risk factors for Alzheimer's, like age, obesity and diabetes,
increase inflammation in the brain and we think that infections could be
another risk factor." "There is already evidence that the immune
system is on high alert in people with Alzheimer's and we think that an extra
trigger, like an infection, could tip the balance and make immune cells switch
from being protective to harmful," she adds.
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| alzheimer's brain |
Alzheimer's Research UK has already put £300,000 into the
project. The money is part of the charity's £20m investment in leading dementia
research in the UK.
The study started in January 2013, and will add to the
growing pile of evidence that shows how the immune system is implicated in
Alzheimer's disease. The Southampton team believes that in Alzheimer's, the
immune system goes beyond its role as protector of the body and starts causing
damage, like it does in an autoimmune disease.
For their study, Boche and colleagues will use brain tissue
generously donated by people who had Alzheimer's disease when they died. With
reference to donors' medical records, the researchers will compare the brains
of those who had infections when they died with those who did not.
They will be particularly interested in immune cells known
as "microglia", which go around mopping up cellular debris. They will
use fluorescent tags to label the cells in the brain, and look at them under
the microscope. The team will be looking for signs that infection causes
distinct changes in microglia in people with Alzheimer's. Boche says they
believe the microglia may produce chemicals that are harmful to surrounding
cells and make Alzheimer's worse.
"The findings could have important implications both
for our understanding of the disease and for the management of healthcare in
the elderly," says Boche, adding that she and her team are
"incredibly grateful to Alzheimer's Research UK and their supporters for
providing us with the funds to make the research possible".
The hope is the findings will increase understanding about
how to delay the progression of Alzheimer's, a disease that affects over half a
million people in the UK. Eric Karran, Director of Research at Alzheimer's
Research UK, says: "Slowing the progression of Alzheimer's could have a
huge impact on families and allow people more valuable time with their loved
ones." "Only by understanding the factors that drive the disease, can
we develop new and innovative ways to slow it down," he adds. Last year,
several new studies helped with funds from the charity, showed that
inflammation plays an important role in Alzheimer's, and the charity expects
this latest project will build on those results.
In June 2012, scientists in the US reported the results of a
small trial where a group of Alzheimer's patients treated for 3 years with an
immunotherapy drug showed no symptom decline over the treatment period.
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