3 ms·
The emphasis on the plaques comes from the fact that Alzheimer’s is diagnosed by the presence of these plaques, while dementia is a symptom/presentation. I gue
by doctorpangloss 8y ago
The emphasis on the plaques comes from the fact that Alzheimer’s is diagnosed by the presence of these plaques, while dementia is a symptom/presentation.
I guess it comes down to whether you believe that an infection disproportionately affects old people and causes dementia. It probably doesn’t, not for any good biological reason, but because it doesn’t sound like any progress has been made on the biomechanics of dementia.
Laypeople obviously don’t care about the plaques. They want the dementia to go away. You can make a mouse model that has a brain infection, and then potentially a model where that infection shows plaques, and then a molecule that gets rid of the infection. But it’s really hard to tell (in real life, not in science speak) if a mouse has dementia. That’s the limitation.
We’re so incredibly far away from drug interventions for dementia.
- viscanti 8y ago> I guess it comes down to whether you believe that an infection disproportionately affects old people and causes dementia. What they're saying is that after many years of fighting the infection Alzheimer's starts to develop. Certainly people who are older have the potential to have more years of infection. This seems plausible.
- ImaCake 8y agoThere is a clinical trial associated with the anti-gingipain treatment described in OPs study that is going into phase 2 this month. If the authors are correct, people are going to be getting this treatment for alzheimers this year.
- coldtea 8y ago>I guess it comes down to whether you believe that an infection disproportionately affects old people and causes dementia. It probably doesn’t, not for any good biological reason How about older people not having the health required to fight the infection?