Using human brain tissue in lab dishes, researchers show herpes link to Alzheimer's

https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/06/researchers-show-herpes-link-to-alzheimers/

A small 3D version of the human brain develops key features of Alzheimer’s disease when it is infected with a virus that causes cold sores, scientists reported on Wednesday, adding to the evidence that this most common form of dementia can be caused by a common microbe.

The new research, published in Science Advances, is the first to directly show in a lab model (rather than through circumstantial evidence from human studies) that the herpes simplex virus HSV-1 might cause Alzheimer’s: Human brain-like tissue infected with the virus became riddled with amyloid plaque-like formations — the hallmark of Alzheimer’s. It also developed neuroinflammation and became less effective at conducting electrical signals, all of which happen in Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is a very important paper,” said Dev Devanand, chief of geriatric psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, who was not involved in the study and is leading a clinical trial to see whether antiviral drugs can treat mild Alzheimer’s. The HSV-1 findings “support the role of viruses in Alzheimer’s disease."

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