4 ms·

> Brain changes, visible on scans, are also associated with Alzheimer’s precursors Interesting. Since they're speculating a link between cortisol and alzheimer

• corndoge 8y ago
  this comment makes no sense
  • jacobolus 8y ago
    The context is there is a theory that herpes viruses are linked to Alzheimer’s. See e.g. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/21/621908340/researchers-find-herpes-viruses-in-brains-marked-by-alzheimers-disease https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/21/6219083...
    • stephengillie 8y ago
      There are many theories about the cause of Alzheimer's. Previously on HN: - Alzheimer's is caused by dirty air. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18230932 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18230932 - Alzheimer's is caused by lack of sleep. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18228627 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18228627 - Alzheimer's is a form of diabetes. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4578267 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4578267 - Alzheimer's is caused by herpes. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18265115 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18265115 Also, brain damage is a result of Alzheimer's, not a cause.
      • shittyadmin 8y ago
        Holy shit, I thought you were joking but most of those were in the last 2 weeks.
        • eganist 8y ago
          Right? And if you extrapolate research like the sleep deprivation research further out, it ties in pretty well with the thinking that sleep deprivation keeps the brain from clearing the byproducts of a fight against herpes reactivation. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17945738 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17945738)
          • stephengillie 8y ago
            Herpes is a normal virus, for the most part. The key mutation that makes it so annoying is its time-release capsules to reinfect cells every so often. So which "byproducts" are cleaned out?
            • eganist 8y ago
              Assuming the working theory from one of my previous citations on beta amyloid is correct, it's the beta amyloid produced to entangle the herpes virus in the brain that's cleaned out nightly by sleep. Edit: Less sleep -> more beta amyloid link: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16026655 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16026655 Beta amyloyd -> herpes entanglement: https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(18)30526-9 https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(18)30526-9 None of this is definitive, mind you, but as each new bit of research comes out, a new piece of the puzzle appears to be put in place. Ultimately the question ends up being answered by a more comprehensive wide-scale experimental study tracking herpes mitigations of any sort and any possible reduction in alzheimer's occurrences, basically a larger version of this: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322463.php https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322463.php
              • stephengillie 8y ago
  • eganist 8y ago
    Edited a clarification surrounding the fourth reference, which I suppose is why I posted the comment in the first place. Basically, the submission argues that cortisol may increase the risk of alzheimer's, but we've arguably got a more robust body of knowledge pointing to a much more direct risk (herpes) and therefore potentially a more effective chokepoint that might moot the cortisol/alzheimer's link, if one such link exists.
• eganist 8y ago
  Lost one of my sources in the comment rework. [2] should be https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14534428 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14534428