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Friday 24 February 2017
A new molecular study reveals for the first time that high blood sugar or glucose damages an important enzyme that is involved with how the immune system responds in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers say the findings will help map the progression of the devastating disease to better identify those at risk and perhaps find new ways to treat or prevent it.
Abnormally high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is a well-known characteristic of diabetes and obesity.
However, apart from the fact that people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, the link between hyperglycemia and this common cause of dementia has been less clear.
Now, researchers show that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) - an enzyme that plays an important role in immune function and insulin regulation - undergoes damage associated with high glucose in early Alzheimer's disease.
The team - from the University of Bath and King's College London, both in the United Kingdom - describes the findings in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Toxic changes in the brain
Alzheimer's is a progressive brain-wasting disease that erodes people's ability to remember, think, perform daily tasks, and lead an independent life.
Among older adults, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, a condition that affects 46 million people worldwide.
As more studies are done, scientists are gradually unraveling the complex changes that happen in the brain during the onset and development of the disease.
Many experts believe the damage caused by Alzheimer's disease starts 10 years or more before the cognitive decline becomes apparent.
During this preclinical stage, when people appear symptom-free, toxic changes are taking place in the brain.
One of the main changes occurring in the brain is the accumulation of abnormal proteins into toxic plaques and tangles, causing once-healthy cells to stop working, lose connections with other cells, and die.
Scientists already knew that glucose and its metabolic byproducts can damage proteins through a reaction called glycation, which has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease, and is a known feature of the hyperglycemia induced by diabetes.
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A new molecular study reveals for the first time that high blood sugar or glucose damages an important enzyme that is involved with how the immune system responds in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers say the findings will help map the progression of the devastating disease to better identify those at risk and perhaps find new ways to treat or prevent it.
Abnormally high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is a well-known characteristic of diabetes and obesity.
However, apart from the fact that people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, the link between hyperglycemia and this common cause of dementia has been less clear.
Now, researchers show that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) - an enzyme that plays an important role in immune function and insulin regulation - undergoes damage associated with high glucose in early Alzheimer's disease.
The team - from the University of Bath and King's College London, both in the United Kingdom - describes the findings in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Toxic changes in the brain
Alzheimer's is a progressive brain-wasting disease that erodes people's ability to remember, think, perform daily tasks, and lead an independent life.
Among older adults, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, a condition that affects 46 million people worldwide.
As more studies are done, scientists are gradually unraveling the complex changes that happen in the brain during the onset and development of the disease.
Many experts believe the damage caused by Alzheimer's disease starts 10 years or more before the cognitive decline becomes apparent.
During this preclinical stage, when people appear symptom-free, toxic changes are taking place in the brain.
One of the main changes occurring in the brain is the accumulation of abnormal proteins into toxic plaques and tangles, causing once-healthy cells to stop working, lose connections with other cells, and die.
Scientists already knew that glucose and its metabolic byproducts can damage proteins through a reaction called glycation, which has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease, and is a known feature of the hyperglycemia induced by diabetes.
READ MORE