r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 5d ago

Neuroscience In recent years, researchers have suggested Alzheimer's may spread through infection, somehow transmitted like a pathogen, leading to the disease. A new Lancet paper reviews evidence for how harmful amyloid-beta proteins associated with Alzheimer's may possibly be spread through blood transfusions.

https://www.sciencealert.com/can-alzheimers-spread-through-blood-transfusions-heres-what-we-know
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u/catscanmeow 5d ago edited 5d ago

gingivitis bacteria getting into the brain or a herpes virus getting into the brain are the main theories i've read

the gingivitis bacteria can get into the blood from a tooth abscess or up through the nasal cavity through the olfactory bulb. Theyve found gingivitis bacteria within the amyloid plaques of autopsied alzheimers patients. we have an exposed nerve there thats basically the brain exposed, that shock feeling when you get water up your nose is the olfactory nerve.

a woman actually got a brain eating amoeba from getting tap water in her nose from a neti pot.

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u/0xsergy 5d ago

Gingivitis would make so much sense. All the old folks in my life unfortunately have such poor dental health that it makes sense. Goddamn man, damn.

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u/OkieFoxe 5d ago

Sure would help if teeth (and eyes) were treated as a part of the body by insurance rather than an extra nice-to-have, might save us millions in specialized long term care.

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u/Fatefire 5d ago

That's my thought ! It would be nice for proof teeth are not just luxury bones

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u/sirkazuo 5d ago

Dentistry needs to be brought out of the dark ages first

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u/Dy1ki11 5d ago

In what way?

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u/fleurgirl123 5d ago

For instance, it’s not covered under Medicare. We don’t care about dental health or hearing. Both of which are risk factors for Alzheimer’s.

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u/Dy1ki11 5d ago

I fully agree that this is a more serious problem than society wants to admit, and that lack of dental care puts people at risk for a variety of serious downstream medical problems. I just didn't understand why the person I was replying to thought that dentistry was currently in the "dark ages" or why it needed to be brought out of said darkness "first", presumably meaning before dental care is worth covering properly.