Gum infection could be linked to Alzheimer’s, study says

CNN — A gum infection was found to be a potential risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease in a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. This same bacteria were also found in 51 out of 53 brain autopsies of Alzheimer’s disease patients, according to new research by Dr. Stephen Dominy and Casey Lynch, founders of the pharmaceutical firm Cortexyme. However, James Pickett, head of research at the UK Alzheimer’s Society, said that “in research we’ve supported to uncover the key risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, gum disease hasn’t emerged as a major cause for concern.” Pickett, who was not involved in the new research, added that “the laboratory work does suggest that this infection could cause damage to cells of the brain, but there isn’t yet clear evidence that it can cause this damage in people or result in Alzheimer’s.” Lynch mentioned that despite “significant funding and the best efforts of academic, industry and advocacy communities, clinical progress against Alzheimer’s has been frustratingly slow.” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which is characterized by memory loss that gets worse over time. More research needed Previous research observed that Alzheimer’s disease patients with the oral infection showed cognitive decline over a six-month period when compared with another group of Alzheimer’s disease patients without the infection. Finding new strategies Tiago Outeiro, professor of neurodegeneration at Newcastle University, mentioned that studies like this, which identify microbes associated with disease, are “extremely attractive, as this might lead to the identification of strategies, such as antibiotics, which may specifically affect those microbes which associate with disease.” Outeiro, who was not involved in the research, also warned that in this case, the question remains whether the bacteria are specific to Alzheimer’s disease or a signal of general changes taking place during neurodegeneration.