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A new breakthrough might have been achieved surrounding research into Alzheimer's disease, indicating that the cause might actually be routed through an infection inside of your mouth.
The disease, thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in your brain cells, has largely been considered somewhat of a mystery in medical fields, with no concrete understanding of where it comes from or what it's caused by.
According to the NHS, factors such as your age, family history, head injuries, and illnesses such as Down's syndrome and cardiovascular diseases all are linked to the development of Alzheimer's, but a new scientific study has suggested that a primary cause could be found within your mouth.
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As reported by Science Alert, a paper led by Jan Potempa of the University of Louisville has discovered that porphyromonas gingivalis has been found within the brains of deceased Alzheimer's patients - and that pathogen causes chronic periodontitis, otherwise known as gum disease.
Experiments involving mice corroborated this hypothesis further, as oral infection of porphyromonas gingivalis led to the increased production of amyloid beta, which are the aforementioned proteins that likely cause Alzheimer's to develop in and around your brain cells.
What, critically, was also discovered was evidence of 'toxic enzymes' known as gingipains, which appear to be common in the brains of those affected by Alzheimer's. This then led to the discovery of gingipains in the brains of deceased individuals who had otherwise never been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, indicating signals of onset development prior to their passing.
"Our identification of gingipain antigens in the brains of individuals with AD [Alzheimer's disease] and also with AD pathology but no diagnosis of dementia argues that brain infection with P. gingivalis is not a result of poor dental care following the onset of dementia or a consequence of the late-stage disease," explains the paper, "but is an early event that can explain the pathology found in middle-aged individuals before cognitive decline."
This could be the beginning of research that could uncover not only the root causes of Alzheimer's as a disease - or perhaps an infection - and also enhance preventative treatment once we understand how exactly it activates within the brain.
On top of this, the study outlines how small-molecule inhibitor targeting gingipains "reduced the bacterial load of an established P. gingivalis brain infection, blocked [amyloid beta] production, reduced neuroinflammation, and reduced neurons in the hippocampus.
"These data suggest that gingipain inhibitors could be valuable for treating P. gingivalis brain colonization and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease," and could then provide a route towards a 'cure' of sorts for existing patients and those exhibiting signs of developing the disease.
