This vaccine’s potential to reduce the impact of Alzheimer’s Disease
In 2024, over 6.7 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and that number is expected to increase by more than 51% to 13.8 million Americans, by 2060. (6) Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia which causes the decline of one’s ability to carry out important mental functions, such as thinking and remembering details about the present or past. The most common cause of Alzheimer’s is age. The majority of people over 65 are at high risk for developing the disease. (1) Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, meaning that its symptoms worsen over time. People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s find it increasingly difficult to talk and will experience deteriorating memory loss. On average, individuals only live four to eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, research has shown that certain viral infections, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), could be the cause of AD.
A small bottle of the RSV Vaccine.
In Alzheimer’s disease, clumps of protein fragments called beta amyloid plaques develop and gradually build up in the brain. These plaques impede cell function, and scientists believe their accumulation contributes to the progressive memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s. Initially, researchers focused on finding new drugs that remove such plaques. However, the data they found mainly linked the cause of Alzheimer’s to viral infections, where a poor immune response can lead to inflammation. Live Science, a renowned science journal, explains how “inflammatory signals reach the brain, stimulating the production of beta-amyloid proteins, which may have antimicrobial properties intended to kill harmful invaders. However, when these proteins confuse healthy brain cells with microbes, they aggregate into plaques that damage the brain.”(4)
Additionally, in a recent study conducted by Kristin S. Levine and Hampton L. Leonard, researchers examined the medical records of over 300,000 people to determine if there is a correlation between viral infections and AD. Their study concluded that “individuals who had viral encephalitis were at least 20 times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s than those who did not experience that virus.”(3) It is also important to note that 80% of the viruses in the study were capable of triggering the immune system’s inflammatory response.
RSV infections in particular have a strong link with Alzheimer’s. RSV is a respiratory virus that infects the mouth, nose, and lungs, and it is especially prevalent in infants and elderly people.(5) RSV can cause inflammation and also affect the neurological system. Many vaccines developed to combat RSV can thus be used to abate the impacts of Alzheimer’s. (5) The vaccines can clear the beta amyloid plaques and stop the source of the harmful protein. Getting the RSV vaccine may also induce a reduction in systemic inflammation, resulting in a better immune system that can help prevent inflammation in the brain.
Although RSV vaccines are being studied to determine how they can reduce the impacts of Alzheimer’s, researchers are still discovering new links between viral infections and Alzheimer’s. In the future, more research could result in innovation towards the prevention and curing of Alzheimer’s disease.
Bibliography:
- Piekut, T. (2022, March 8) Infectious agents and Alzheimer’s disease. IMR Press. Retrieved from
https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/21/2/10.31083/j.jin2102073/htm
- Rippee-Brooks, M. D., Wu, W., Dong, J., Pappolla, M., Fang, X., & Bao, X. (2024). Viral Infections, Are They a Trigger and Risk Factor of Alzheimer’s Disease? National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10974111
- (2023, January 19). Could a viral illness increase chances of developing Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative disease? National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from
- Spichak, S. (2023, July 4). Could vaccines prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease? Livescience. Retrieved from
- Drygalski, K., Fereniec, E., Koryciński, K., Chomentowski, A., Kiełczewska, A., Odrzygóźdź, C., & Modzelewska, B. (2018). Resveratrol and Alzheimer’s disease. From molecular pathophysiology to clinical trials. Experimental Gerontology. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0531556518303425
- 2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s Association Report. Retrieved from https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.13016#:~:text=An%20estimated%206.7%20million%20Americans,prevent%2C%20slow%20or%20cure%20AD.