“The Viral Hypothesis: How Herpesviruses May Contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease”, 2021-05-10 (; backlinks):
The hypothesis that infectious agents, particularly herpesviruses, contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis has been investigated for decades but has long engendered controversy.
In the past 3 years, several studies in mouse models, human tissue models, and population cohorts have reignited interest in this hypothesis.
Collectively, these studies suggest that many of the hallmarks of AD, like amyloid beta production and neuroinflammation, can arise as a protective response to acute infection that becomes maladaptive in the case of chronic infection.
We place this work in its historical context and explore its etiological implications.
See Also:
Virus exposure and neurodegenerative disease risk across national biobanks
Causal evidence that herpes zoster vaccination prevents a proportion of dementia cases
Largest GWAS (n = 1,126,563) of Alzheimer’s Disease Implicates Microglia and Immune Cells
Infectious Causation of Disease: An Evolutionary Perspective
Toxoplasmosis: Recent Advances in Understanding the Link Between Infection and Host Behavior