Myths and Facts What helps against Alzheimer's?

Dementia research still faces numerous puzzles

05.03.2012

In the fight against Alzheimer wildest myths circulate. So should a glass of red wine during the day just as get the mental fitness as much vegetables or brain jogging. But the facts speak for themselves: So far, there is not the slightest scientific proof that an Alzheimer's disease can be efficiently prevented.

Alzheimer's scares
Anyone who is not afraid of losing their wits through Alzheimer's one day, giving up their own personality, forfeiting their own independence and at some point may just be a burden to the relatives. „If there's one thing in my life that I've always been scared of, really shit in good German, then Alzheimer's, "says Rudi Assauer, who recently publicized his Alzheimer's disease. „Just do not get dementia in old age, that often buzzed around in my head. "Assauer comes from a family in which the disease had already occurred more often.

As far as we know, medications can slow the disease down by a year or so. However, a cure for Alzheimer's disease still seems a long way off. Despite research successes, the scientists and doctors are largely in the dark.

Alzheimer's begins many years before the first signs of dementia
First of all, it is easy forgetfulness for sufferers. They keep asking the same question or telling the same story, forgetting how to do everyday household chores, misplacing items and neglecting their personal care and appearance. At an advanced stage, they no longer recognize their own children. However, the disease begins many years before the onset of first signs of dementia with the deposition of so-called senile plaques and neurofibrils in the brain. The protein deposits of the plaques consist mainly of the beta-amyloid peptide. Neurofibrillary tangles are intracellular and composed of the tau protein which aggregates into fibrils by increased occupation with phosphoric acid residues (hyperphosphorylation). It is unknown until now whether tau phosphorylation triggers or is triggered by the disease. The deposits kill neurons, which leads to the decrease of the brain mass. In addition, the messenger acetylcholine is produced in too small amounts, resulting in a general decrease in brain performance.

No evidence of alterable factors in Alzheimer's?
A group of leading Alzheimer's researchers commissioned the US Department of Health in April 2010 to present an analysis on Alzheimer's prevention and mental health reduction. Prevention physician Martha Daviglus of Northwestern University in Chicago and her team of independent experts analyzed all important investigations. They came to the conclusion that it is currently „No evidence of even modest scientific quality for a connection between a variable influencing factor - dietary supplements, drugs, nutrition, exercise and social commitment - and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. "Similarly, the experts estimate the state of affairs for the issue „general mental degradation“ on. However, one could not conclude that prevention was excluded. It could be given at the current level of knowledge, only a clear recommendation. The open, merciless presentation of the results met in many places to criticism. Too much pessimism and nihilism were spoken. Other scientists praised their colleagues and found the evaluation as a call for more and better Alzheimer's research. Konrad Beyreuther from the University of Heidelberg, one of the leading German Alzheimer's researchers, said that it was now possible to conduct research, as the early signs of the disease could be visualized by means of a brain scan.

The US government has now decided to increase funding for Alzheimer's research in 2012 by $ 50 million. The National Anti-Alzheimer's Plan states that by 2025 both successful prevention and treatment of the disease should be developed. However, the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's is the increasing age that can not be influenced. Even a genetic predisposition can not be changed. Few of those affected fall ill between the 40th and 50th year of life. Only with increasing age do the symptoms of Alzheimer's appear. Due to demographic change, however, more and more people reach old age and suffer from the so-called diseases of affluence, which did not occur a hundred years ago or to a much lesser extent. In addition to dementia diseases are also cancer and heart disease.

The number of dementia patients could double by 2050
According to the Dementia Report 2011 of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, around 1.3 million people suffer from dementia nationwide. Alzheimer's was diagnosed in two thirds of them. Expert Prof. Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen from the Berlin Charité also points to the growing prevalence of dementia. According to experts, the number of those affected could even double by the year 2050. However, not only Alzheimer's disease but also other forms of dementia such as vascular dementia are considered.

Steinhagen-Thiessen mentions as a significant factor influencing the development of Alzheimer's hypertension. Increased cholesterol levels and diabetes also play a role according to the expert.

Recently, researchers from Li Liu of the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Taub Institute for Alzheimer's Disease Research at Columbia University in New York published in the journal „PloS One“ a study that suggests that Alzheimer's spreads between neurons in the brain of those affected along the anatomical networks. The defective tau protein, which is made responsible for Alzheimer's disease, jump from neuron to neuron. According to the scientists, Alzheimer's disease continues to spread from the cortex entorhinalis in the brain. If researchers were able to reduce or even prevent the neuronal neuronal skipping of tau proteins, this could potentially help slow or delay the spread of the neurodegenerative disease. This would require an early diagnosis of the disease to prevent the spread of tau proteins in the brain as early as possible. (Ag)

Read more about Alzheimer's:
The spread of Alzheimer's in the brain is decoded
Alzheimer's: More and more people suffer from dementia
Alzheimer's already recognize the nose
Walks protect against Alzheimer's
Dementia and Alzheimer's
Dementia: A growing social problem
Dementia: holistic treatment approach
Overmedication of dementia patients
Alzheimer's not curable
Nature dye new hope in Alzheimer's

Picture credits: Gerd Altmann