Gum Disease Bacteria More Common in the Brains of Alzheimer ' s Patients

Researchers here note that the bacteria associated with gum disease are found more frequently in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. While looking over this research, it is worth bearing in mind that a recent large study found only a 6% increased risk of dementia in patients with periodontitis. So rather than thinking that there is a very large contribution to the disease process here, we might consider an alternative model: that people with Alzheimer's disease may be more likely to have a leaky blood-brain barrier, allowing greater traffic of normally forbidden molecules, cells, and pathogens into the brain. Vascular dysfunction is common in Alzheimer's patients, many of whom also exhibit vascular dementia in addition to the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Thus the infiltration of bacteria into the brain may be a consequence of underlying damage rather than a cause of it, and this bacterial infiltration, while being clearly associated with disease-related mechanisms, may cause only modest additional harm over and above the more direct consequences of that damage. The bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is the bad actor involved in periodontitis, the most serious form of gum disease. While previous researchers have noted the presence of P. gingivalis in brain samples from Alzheimer's patients, new results offer the strongest evidence to date that the bacterium may actually contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers compa...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs