Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects memory, thinking and behavior, is one of the most studied, but also one of the most mysterious diseases of our time. For many years, scientists have focused on finding specific causes and treatment of this ailment, but so far success has been limited. Recently, in the background of failure in previous research, the scientific community has considered the need for a new approach to combating this disease.
One of the main factors that causes a change in the approach is the recognition of the complexity and variety of processes that underlie Alzheimer's disease. Scientists note that this disease is multifactorial, which includes genetic, epigenetic, environmental and other factors. This approach allows you to consider Alzheimer's disease as a complex process that requires a deeper understanding and a wider range of interventions.
In the process of finding medicines from Alzheimer's disease, scientists often come across various obstacles, and disputes and debate around their attempts often cloud progress. The question of the foundations of many similar scientific works, including the role of brain protein called beta-amyloid, which underlies the contradictory drug Adukanumab, has recently been raised. Despite its considerable effort, the emphasis on beta-amyloid has not yet led to a breakthrough in treatment, which has led scientists to considering the disease at a different angle, writes Sciencealert.
At the Krebil Brain Institute in Toronto, researchers have proposed a new approach to the study of Alzheimer's disease: from a disease concentrated on the brain, to the disease, the roots of which reaches our immune system. The team of scientists, based on the results of three decades of research, believes that Alzheimer's disease can be caused not by brain anomalies, but by dysfunction of the immune system within it. They suggest that beta-amyloid, instead of being a harmful by-product, plays a crucial role in the brain immune response. But the problem lies in the fact that it mistakenly affects brain cells because of their similarity with bacterial cells, which leads to a progressive decrease in cognitive abilities characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.
This autoimmune theory of Alzheimer's disease considers the disease as a maid of the immune system of the brain, opening new opportunities for the use of additional methods of treatment, except for conventional drugs used in other autoimmune diseases. The complexity of the brain and the unique role of beta-amyloid in the immune regulation have suggested that the impact on other immune pathways can be the key to the development of effective drugs, says Donald Viveer, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Slibil Research Institute and a supporter of this theory. This view not only challenges the established paradigms, but also gives hope in the realm, which desperately needs innovation and progress.
While the world community is fighting the crisis of exacerbated Alzheimer's disease, the emergence of various theories emphasizes the urgent need to expand our understanding of the nature of this disease. Whether the study of the role of mitochondria, infections or imbalances of metals, whether adopting the idea that Alzheimer's disease is an autoimmune disease, the search for solutions is more active, and it is very important in the current environment. More than 50 million people live with dementia, and this has a huge impact on both individuals and families and society and health care systems. The search for new theories, approaches and treatments is not only a scientific task, but also a public duty that gives a flash of hope in the face of a complicated problem for people who need it and have an insurmountable disease.
