From: judgeparker23x@gmail.com   
      
   2016   
   Mar 11   
   12:29 PM   
   TRENDING   
   By Korin Miller   
   There Could Be A Link Between Herpes And Alzheimer's   
      
      
   New research connects some dots between common STIs and the devastation of   
   dementia. Here's what you should know.   
      
   Herpes and Alzheimer's disease may seem completely unrelated, but a team of   
   scientists says that they have more in common than you'd think. In a new   
   editorial in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, more than 30 Alzheimer's   
   experts argue that microbes--   
   specifically the herpes virus, chlamydia bacteria, and spirochaete   
   bacteria--are major causes of dementia. Now, they're calling for more research   
   into this link.   
      
   In the editorial, researchers note that these viruses and bacteria are common   
   in the brains of elderly people. And, they say, antimicrobial drugs might help   
   dampen these bacteria and viruses, stopping or slowing the progression of   
   dementia.   
      
   Most Alzheimer's research currently focuses on the buildup of amlyoid plaques   
   and tau proteins in the brain, which keep neurons from communicating with each   
   other. When these factors occur, memory loss and mental decline can happen.   
      
   According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease is the only top   
   10 cause of death in America that can't be prevented, cured, or slowed down.   
   An estimated 5.1 million people aged 65 and older suffer from the disease, and   
   that number is    
   expected to increase to 7.1 million by 2025.   
      
   But what does herpes have to do with it? Scientists say the virus has been   
   linked to damage in the body's central nervous system and limbic system   
   (nerves and networks in the brain)--and that damage is linked to mental   
   decline.   
      
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   While we most often link herpes and chlamydia with unsafe sex practices,   
   editorial co-author Douglas Kell, a professor at the University of   
   Manchester's School of Chemistry, says practicing safe sex "may or may not be   
   pertinent" to Alzheimer's disease    
   since herpes in particular is so prevalent. You can also get the herpes virus   
   from kissing or by having contact with an infected person's skin or mucous   
   membranes at certain times, for example. According to the World Health   
   Organization, an estimated two-   
   thirds of the population have the herpes virus, and may not even know it.   
      
   "Various viruses and bacteria can lie dormant in our blood and tissues, often   
   for years," Kell tells SELF. "When they wake up, they can do damage."   
      
   The actual damage that can be done depends on where the viruses are, Kell   
   says. If the herpes virus is in a relevant part of the brain, it may cause   
   Alzheimer's. If it's in another part, it may cause Parkinson's.   
      
   What causes these viruses to "wake up"? Stress or if a person's immune system   
   is compromised, although Kell says "free iron," a condition that can occur if   
   the person's iron metabolism is off, leading to cell damage, can also be a   
   cause.   
      
   Once they're awake, these viruses divide and secrete molecules that cause   
   their host cells to die. When these are brain cells, it can lead to memory   
   decline, researchers say.   
      
   The editorial's authors may be on to something, says Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D.,   
   director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General   
   Hospital and a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, who has also   
   conducted research that has    
   found a link between viruses and Alzheimer's. However, his research has found   
   that amyloid plaques are triggered in the brain as a defense mechanism to   
   fight viruses and bacteria, causing dementia as a side effect.   
      
   But Tanzi says it's a little early to point the finger at particular viruses   
   like herpes.   
      
   "We know that yeast and viruses can sneak into the brain, and many different   
   microbes have been proposed to live in Alzheimer patients' brains," he says.   
   "We need to be careful not to pick our favorite microbe."   
      
   Does this mean Alzheimer's is contagious? Tanzi says it's hard to say at this   
   point. "Until we know which pathogens are triggering the disease we won't know   
   whether it's contagious," he says. "Yes, herpes is contagious, but almost   
   everybody has it--it's    
   just whether your body responds to it."   
      
   If scientists find that there's a particular, less common virus that that is   
   linked to Alzheimer's disease "that's a different story," he says. "But we're   
   not there yet."   
      
   Living Art Enterprises / Getty Images   
         
   KEYWORDS: Alzheimer's,Brain Health,Herpes,STDs,Wellness News   
   Photo by James Ransom   
      
      
   http://www.self.com/trending/2016/03/there-could-be-a-link-betwe   
   n-herpes-and-alzheimers/   
      
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