A Mechanism by Which Herpesvirus May Accelerate Amyloid- β Aggregation Leading to Alzheimer ' s Disease

There is some debate over whether persistent viral infection, such as by herpesvirus, contributes meaningfully to the onset and development of Alzheimer's disease. It would be a convenient explanation, given that many people with all of the lifestyle risk factors for neurodegeneration, such as being overweight and sedentary, do not in fact go on to develop Alzheimer's. The epidemiology is mixed, however, with some studies suggesting yes, some no. Some of the positive data suggests that use of antiviral drugs lowers the risk of Alzheimer's. More recent work argues that multiple different viral infections are required for a significant effect on Alzheimer's risk, which might explain why earlier epidemiology has produced conflicting results. Meanwhile, researchers continue to explore the cellular biochemistry that might cause viral infection to increase production of amyloid-β, an anti-microbial peptide. Ever greater aggregation of misfolded amyloid-β is the early stage of Alzheimer's disease, and the more amyloid-β being generated, the faster that pathological process will progress, or at least that is the hypothesis. Today's open access paper is an example of cell culture studies being conducted to better understand the interaction between viral particles and the biochemistry of the brain. It adds a little more context to the picture, but doesn't address the conflicting epidemiological evidence. Herpes Simplex Virus Infection Increases Beta-Amyloid Production ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs