Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault appear in a comedy The Swindle New evidence links herpes and Alzheimer's Brain research discovery helps explain viral connection to neural disease UCI neurobiologists who study brain aging have discovered a connection between a form of the herpes virus and Alzheimer's disease. The finding provides evidence that certain forms of Alzheimer's may be virally based, which potentially may lead to development of a vaccine to prevent the disease or new drugs to treat it. The researchers showed that, like beta-amyloid, it could kill brain neurons, a key feature in the development of Alzheimer's. Moreover, in laboratory experiments, the viral protein formed abnormal twisted fibers like those found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients - the definitive hallmark of the disease.
Herpes exists in two common forms.
Most people who are exposed to HSV-1 do not develop Alzheimer's. LaFerla explains this apparent paradox by citing recent studies showing that people genetically disposed to Alzheimer's are more likely to develop the disease if they are exposed to herpes. Herpes is one of a growing number of factors believed to contribute to Alzheimer's, a poorly understood, incurable form of dementia that primarily strikes the elderly and causes severe memory loss. In about 10 percent of cases there is a family history of the disease. Researchers believe that the majority of the cases involve multiple factors.