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Alzheimer's Link To Herpes Virus In Brain, Say Scientists (theguardian.com)
Tests of brain tissue from nearly 1,000 people found that two strains of herpes virus were far more abundant in the brains of those with early-stage Alzheimer's than in healthy controls. "[S]cientists are divided on whether viruses are likely to be an active trigger, or whether the brains of people already on the path towards Alzheimer's are simply more vulnerable to infection," reports The Guardian. From the report: "The viral genomes were detectable in about 30% of Alzheimer's brains and virtually undetectable in the control group," said Sam Gandy, professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York and a co-author of the study. The study also suggested that the presence of the herpes viruses in the brain could influence or control the activity of various genes linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's.
The scientists did not set out to look for a link between viruses and dementia. Instead they were hoping to pinpoint genes that were unusually active in the brains of people with the earliest stage of Alzheimer's. But when they studied brain tissue, comparing people with early-stage Alzheimer's and healthy controls, the most striking differences in gene activity were not found in human genes, but in genes belonging to two herpes virus strains, HHV6A and HHV7. And the abundance of the viruses correlated with clinical dementia scores of the donors.
The scientists did not set out to look for a link between viruses and dementia. Instead they were hoping to pinpoint genes that were unusually active in the brains of people with the earliest stage of Alzheimer's. But when they studied brain tissue, comparing people with early-stage Alzheimer's and healthy controls, the most striking differences in gene activity were not found in human genes, but in genes belonging to two herpes virus strains, HHV6A and HHV7. And the abundance of the viruses correlated with clinical dementia scores of the donors.
This is about the Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) and Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7). It has nothing to do with Herpes zoster (HHV3) known for chickenpox and shingles, and with Herpes simplex (HHV1, HHV2), which cause oral and genital herpes.
Actually, neither is correct. The study found that 30% of Alzheimer's patients had abnormally high quantities of HHV6/HHV7 in their brain tissue. Further that the quantity of the virus in the brain had a strong positive correlation with the amount of dementia clinically observed. The vast majority of people have been exposed to HHV6/7 and some viral load might show in the blood, but because of the BBB that would not mean a similar amount, or any amount, would be present in the CSF.
I don't trust atoms -- they make up stuff.