The Possible Connection Between Herpes And the Alzheimer Disease
Link between herpes and Alzheimer’s
In recent studying done by various neurologists, a study has been published talking about the possible connection between the virus Herpes, and the fatal Disease, Alzheimer’s. This hypothesis has been around for longer than we realize, but the support has only recently began. The case study is just that, a study, meaning that nothing is confirmed, or even implied to be true. Although the news is certainly intriguing, the potential false hope it is giving off is receiving more backlash than community support. Research Central: Alzheimer’s and Herpes may be Linked.
The linkage between a simple Virus and a Neural DiseaseAlzheimer’s disease has plagued beloved parents and gradparents for years. The degenerative neurological condition is very unknown to modern scientists, depite years of reaserch and study. However, modern viruses like herpes have been widely explored and understood, and have more of a cure and treatment than scientists dream of having for Alzheimer’s. The idea that scientists can use a concept they know so much about to potentially change the face of something completely foreign is legendary. Now, othe real question is how the two relate. In brains that have Alzheimer’s it has been discovered that the protein amyloid beta tends to build up and drive the progression of disease.
Everyone has this protein in their brain, and scientists believe it plays an important role in fighting infections. In alzheimer’s patients, the proteins build up and deposit themselves in plaque all around he brain, and this with a combination of “tau” ccontributes to the disease. By the time the symptoms of early dementia begin to show, there is already a plethora of plaque deposits and tangles throughout the patients brain. Now, the scientists have also had to bring up a fair share of research on the viruses we know as herpes, in order to see if this hypothesis is actually feasible. It is thought that the genes that cause herpes lie dormant in the human body, and eventually make their way to our nervous system to give us the active virus. When they find their place in the nervous system, they begin to make interactions with the amyloid beta protein, the same protein that destroys the brain of an alzheimer’s patient.
This was the beginning of the connection, so the scientists needed something more. They’ve taken thousands of patients and date, to come to the conclusion that most of the patients had a link to the herpes virus before they got alzheimer’s. it is definitely something to look into, but there are so many questions and theories flying around, nothing is valid. Grasping at Straws or Changing the WorldPersonally, I have watched several people whom I love fall victim to the horror that is Alzheimer’s. There is no doubt in my mind that something needs to be done at some point to stop this disease from taking away lives. Based on all the articles I hae read about alzheimer’s, scientists actually seem to have somewhat of an understanding of how the disease progresses.
Now, with the study relating the disease to viruses, my interest piqued. There is obvious evidence that the proteins in our brains interact both whene alzheimer’s begins and when we get a common virus called herpes. The study also showed the fact that several genetic footprints of the herpes virus were foundin brain samples of alzheimer’s patients. But does this create a clear cut connection between the two? I honestly don’t think anyone knows that answer except God.
Developing any theory at all is progress in the world of medicine, but could the sccientists doing this research blown this out of proportion? This wouldn’t be the first time some breakthrough research has come to light and seemingly excited the world, and then turned out to just be some speculations. It is obviously dangerous to do this, especially when dealing with a topic as sensitive as Alzheimer’s. Now, I am not trying to discredit the research that has already been done, because I know for certain that professional scientists know more on the topic than a fifteen year old girl does. However, I am trying to think critically about such a discovery. I think that if the scientists are actually on to something, its great.
Modern medicine and the advances we have made in science are insane, so I think it would be really cool if scientists could vene grasp a better understanding of such a fatal disease. But like I mentioned earlier, what if they’re really just grasping at straws here? Media is a dangerous game to play with, and if this study continues to blow up and never has any truth or validity, these scientists are going to be in some hot water.
References:
- Cara, E. (2018, June 22). Herpes Viruses Linked to Alzheimer's Disease in New Brain Research. Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/herpesviruses-linked-to-alzheimers-disease-in-new-brain-1827020949
- Cara, E. (2018, September 25). European Scientists Have Made an Intriguing Discovery in Alzheimer's Drug Research. Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/european-scientists-have-made-an-intriguing-discovery-i-1829298784
