Research Offers New Ideas for Treating Alzheimer’s

Dementia refers to an array of symptoms characterized by failing short-term memory, confused thinking, and a decline in language skills. Of all the dementias, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) constitutes approximately 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Two drugs, Lecanemab and Donanemab, have been hailed as part of a new class of monoclonal antibody (MOA) drugs that could mark a turning point for Alzheimer’s (AZ) drug research. These drugs are incredibly expensive and carry risks of brain microbleeds and swelling. More importantly, they do not cure or even halt the disease, they delay it by about six months on average. At least 98 unique compounds tested in Phase 2 or 3 trials that pursued the various MOA classes have failed over the years. Howard Chertow, of McGill University, commented, “They’re not a home run.”

Personally, I think they’re more like a strike-out, in view of the fact that most neuroscientists and the drug companies employed by them may be looking in the wrong places in the wrong way.

In 2006, a research paper published in the highly regarded journal Nature asserted that the development of Alzheimer’s is caused by the formation in the brain of abnormally high levels of the naturally occurring protein beta-amyloid that clumps together to form plaques and the intracellular accumulations of neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein that disrupt cell function.

In 2023, a critical review in the journal Brain, collaboratively written by scientists from Denmark, the U.S., Italy, and Australia, stated that “Despite the importance of amyloid in the definition of Alzheimer's disease, we argue that the data point to Aβ playing a minor aetiological role.” They further asserted that the search for more effective ways to treat Alzheimer’s should involve more than amyloid as the single causative agent.

I propose to discuss the currently leading "out-of-the-clump" research, a term coined by Donald Weaver of the University of Toronto, that may eventually usher in new and better ways of dealing with Alzheimer’s.

One of the most auspicious of these novel directions comes from the above-mentioned Weaver, who found that significant resemblances between bacterial membranes and brain cell membranes exist. Beta-amyloid erroneously mistakes the brain cells for invading bacteria and attacks them. These brain cells gradually decay, ultimately leading to dementia. According to Weaver, Alzheimer’s is an autoimmune disease.

If this theory gains traction in the scientific world, treatments that are effective in autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes type 1, eczema, etc. may prove successful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s.

In addition to this autoimmune theory of Alzheimer’s, many other new and varied theories are appearing. John Mamo of Curtin University in Australia, demonstrated already in 2021 that the liver also makes amyloid protein.

It follows that finding ways to either prevent the liver from manufacturing the amyloid protein or destroying it before it enters the circulation ought to be explored.

A recent study from Portugal suggests that Alzheimer’s is a disease of the mitochondria. Mitochondria are tiny organelles (similar to organs like the heart or liver but much smaller inside cells) that generate most of the chemical energy required to power the cell's functions. The authors of this study reported positive outcomes in Alzheimer’s with animals fed a diet rich in antioxidants.

This is good news because we are in familiar territory here. We have known for a long time that antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body cells and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation. Of course, further research is necessary before it is proven that antioxidants in humans can lessen the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or benefit people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. However, the consumption of antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E, the minerals copper, zinc, and selenium, as well as nuts, fruits and vegetables, pecans, blueberries, and dark chocolate, seems well-proven to benefit the health of everyone, at any stage of life.

Scientists from the University of Bern, Switzerland, contend that Alzheimer’s is the end result of a brain infection, particularly with bacteria from the mouth. Since our hands and fingers swarm with viruses and bacteria, a recent paper that advanced the hypothesis that nose picking could play a role in increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s makes much sense. Digging around our noses is encouraging all those little critters to hop on the olfactory nerve train and take a vacation in our brains.

Recent research has focussed on probiotics as potentially beneficial in preventing the development or slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s. Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms that help to maintain or improve a diverse microflora in the gut. A systematic review of the literature on the effect of probiotics on Alzheimer’s by scientists from Malaysia in conjunction with researchers from Baghdad in 2022 write, “Probiotics are known to be one of the best preventative measures against cognitive decline in AD. Numerous in vivo trials and recent clinical trials have proven the effectiveness of selected bacterial strains in slowing down the progression of AD. It is proven that probiotics modulate the inflammatory process, counteract [with] oxidative stress, and modify gut microbiota.”

Dementia Essential Reads

Does Herpes Put You at Higher Risk for Alzheimer's Disease?

The First-Ever Alzheimer's Patient

This and many other academic papers present robust evidence on the role of probiotics in alleviating the progression of Alzheimer’s.

As opposed to drugs, probiotics are readily available in foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, and many others.

If we are going to make significant advances in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s, we urgently require new approaches outside the old amyloid plaque box. Here I reviewed a number of such studies that promise to make a difference in the near future.

Understanding the condition, its origins, and effective strategies for prevention should be a top priority of our healthcare system.