Alzheimer's breakthrough: Scientists may have found potential cause of the disease in the behaviour

[Surya Gayatri]

Source: The Independent

of immune cells - giving new hope to millions

Scientists have broken new ground in the search for an Alzheimer’s cure, discovering a new potential cause of the disease, which it may be possible to target with drug treatments.

Experts said the findings, from Duke University in North Carolina, USA, could “open new doors” in the increasingly frustrated global hunt for a dementia therapy.

Researchers at Duke announced that their studies of Alzheimer’s in mice had thrown up a new process they believe contributes to the disease’s development.

They observed that in Alzheimer’s, immune cells that normally protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient called arginine.





Discovery to kickstart hunt for a treatment after years of under-investment by drug firms

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/alzheimers-breakthrough-scientists-may-have-found-potential-cause-of-the-disease-in-the-behaviour-of-immune-cells--giving-new-hope-to-millions-10176652.html

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Most excellent news. Bravo to the researchers at Duke.

Let's hope this proves to be the game changer.

[newthinking]

1. Let's also hope they don't charge $10k a pill

[Surya Gayatri]

2. ^^^AMEN to that^^^!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. Can you imagine if it was a single shot?

[newthinking]

4. I have become terribly skeptical.

I hope I am overly cynical, Seems like most every new life saving medicine comes with an unreal price tag.

Though if it is a choice between a 2cd Mortgage or Alzheimer's then the choice is pretty clear anyway.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. They make more money treating than curing....

If they came up with a one time shot they would water it down into a long term treatment because they know people would pay it.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

42. Yes Yes Yes

They love long term treatment - that is the money model

[wordpix]

37. me, too, & this extends to new chemo for cancer

snip: "because the research had only been carried out in mice it would be important for tests in humans to confirm the findings."

In the mid-2000's, researchers grew tumors in mice and then tested med mj, which proved to be anti-tumor, anti-metastasis, and protective of normal cells in certain cancers including colon and breast. Results here:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4

But no human trials have ever been conducted. My question: why not? Hypothesis: Big Pharma is standing in the way b/c drug makers can make more on their current chemical approach to a cure than with a plant anyone can get.

[Marthe48]

46. Redefining cancer: acute disease to chronic condition

Read that in a Sunday supplement, either Parade or USA Weekend. I realized the goal was to make money on human suffering, lost the rest of my trust in the medical community.
I hope that this research pans out, is developed, and many people are spared the ravages of Alzheimer's.

[shraby]

6. I keep reading about the possible breakthroughs for Alzheimer's treatment, but so far nada

treatments available.
When will we ever get them? My guess is never. Rewards for drug companies are in keeping the status quo.

[Nay]

32. There's been a cure for diabetes right around the corner for 40 years, too. nt

[Arugula Latte]

44. and MS, and probably many other diseases.

Frustrating.

[silverweb]

7. "...MAY have found POTENTIAL cause...."

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]In other words, maybe a new hypothesis, nothing definite.
Let's not hold our breath, kids.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Every discovery is a plus.

'may have' and 'potential' - that's the language of the scientific method.

[silverweb]

11. I'm aware.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]This is so very preliminary, though, and we've had so many false starts.

Alzheimer's runs strong on one side of my family, so I'm impatient to hear something more certain, is all.

[Surya Gayatri]

12. I think everybody knows somebody touched by dementia. I'm impatient, too.

[silverweb]

13. You're absolutely right.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I'm just tired, I guess.

[MADem]

9. Holy shit!!!!!! Thanks a lot OBAMACARE!!!!!

I guess now that the profit margins are reined in, it makes more sense to try to get some of the "labor intensive" diseases off the table. Big pharma may still rip people off, but if they can fix this problem, it will cut down on the need to warehouse the elderly in locked venues that are often unsafe.

I hope this is the game changer, too. My neighbor's brother in law is in a bad way--his wife is exhausted. I so feel for her.

[Surya Gayatri]

10. From your keyboard to the creative entity's mind!

With an aging population, this can't come too soon.

Can you imagine millions of people being able to live more productive years at the end of life?

[former9thward]

47. Researchers at a private university have nothing to do with Obamacare...

[MADem]

48. Sure they do. The motivation to research things is a byproduct of the marketplace.

One thing acts on another. It doesn't have to be a governmental decree from on high, the fact is that there are more and more people in the health care "pool" nowadays thanks to Obamacare and the "lifeguards" that used to run around after the people with dementia could be put to better use elsewhere. If the medical business (and it is that) can get close to the same profit with a pill that prevents the condition, instead of having to care for dribbling, out-of-it patients who will now be able to care for themselves, what's the better pick?

[former9thward]

52. So this would not have happened if the ACA had not passed?

If the Duke researchers would reading that they would have had a good chuckle. What about all the research that took place for every disease before 2009? Were they doing it in anticipation of the ACA being passed?

[MADem]

59. I didn't say that.

It's funny how I only see that kind of "pull the string to the end of the line/invent 'so then' scenarios" arguing here.

If you seriously think, though, that government policy doesn't influence the direction of private medical research, I've got four words for you:

Bush's stem cell ban.



And, FWIW, the Bryan Altzheimer's Research Center does benefit from substantial funding from the Department of Health and Human Services... so just because the university is private, the research has a public face....but, whatever...

[antigone382]

14. This is interesting because coffee is high in arginine.

And coffee seems to have a protective effect against Alzheimer's. Also, cold sores have been linked to Alzheimer's, and there is some evidence that they are triggered by high levels of Arginine, and warded off by lysine.

[Surya Gayatri]

15. Thanks for that extra info. Who knew? Is THAT the

connection between coffee-drinking and Alzheimer's protection?

[antigone382]

17. I don't know, but it's an interesting confluence of facts.

I don't want to overstate the evidence of coffee's benefit...I don't recall how conclusive the evidence is at this point. But it's something to think about for sure.

[Surya Gayatri]

18. ^^^This!^^^

[MADem]

49. I wonder if it makes a difference WHEN you drink/drank it ...?

I used to guzzle the crap when I was in the military--standing duty, long hours, etc. In my dotage I will have a cup in the morning, most mornings--but not always. It's usually a good sized cup, but that's it--I don't drink it all day like I did way back when!

[wordpix]

40. mom drank coffee every day of her life & had AD after 80 y.o.

Saying food/drink is a cure for this disease is totally bogus. However, for preventive measures it's good to know what to ingest for protective effects.

[eShirl]

16. other dietary sources (not that I don't love coffee!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#Sources

Dietary sources

Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that whether or not it is required to be healthy is conditional on the health status or life cycle of the individual. The biosynthetic pathway, however, does not produce sufficient arginine, and some must still be consumed through diet.[citation needed]Individuals with poor nutrition or certain physical conditions may be advised to increase their intake of foods containing arginine. Arginine is found in a wide variety of foods, including:

Animal sources

dairy products (e.g., cottage cheese, ricotta, milk, yogurt, whey protein drinks), beef, pork (e.g., bacon, ham), gelatin, poultry (e.g. chicken and turkey light meat), wild game (e.g. pheasant, quail), seafood (e.g., halibut, lobster, salmon, shrimp, snails, tuna)

Plant sources

wheat germ and flour, lupins, buckwheat, granola, oatmeal, peanuts, nuts (coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), chickpeas, cooked soybeans, Phalaris canariensis (canaryseed or alpiste)

[Surya Gayatri]

19. Thanks for that!

Love yogurt, chickpeas and nuts. Good!

[virgogal]

54. Maybe I'm reading your post incorrectly

but it looks like having cold sores would mean less likelihood of getting Alzheimer's---assuming the facts about arginine are true.

[antigone382]

57. Well, I think it's more complex than that.

My understanding is that having cold sores is linked with developing Alzheimer's. Herpes viruses "live" in nerve cells when they are dormant, and the type which causes cold sores travels along the optic nerve during an outbreak. Apparently there is some type of link between outbreak frequency & duration and Alzheimer's, and that nerve thing is one hypothetical causal link. This is my understanding based on a Wikipedia article I read a year or two ago, so don't go citing me in your doctoral dissertation, haha.

There is also a somewhat inconclusive link between the balance of lysine and arginine and herpes outbreaks, with more lysine being beneficial, and more arginine being detrimental. I have no idea if that fact has anything to do with what is mentioned in the OP, or with the cold sore/Alzheimer's thing I mentioned. I just noticed that arginine had a connection to both things.

[dixiegrrrrl]

56. L-Lysine 500 mg several times a week, actually.

Every amino acid has an opposite. Arginine vs. Lysine, as you say.
So the trick, is to find which foods upset or help the balance.
Peanuts are high in arginine, for example.

those with cold sores or other forms of herpes simplex can find L-lysine supplements helpful.

Those without a tendency to cold sores may find maintaining sufficient levels of arginine helpful.

[antigone382]

58. Thanks for the info :)

[Hoppy]

20. L-argenine is probably availalbe in health food stores. It is common.

[Surya Gayatri]

22. Where is the public health info about this?

Big Pharma keeping that factoid secret?

[Novara]

21. Mom has Alzheimer's

....and everything they say about "protective effects" hasn't prevented her from it. Every time I read about "breakthroughs" or "protective effects" I take it with a whole salt-shaker's worth of salt. I spend enough time with her in her assisted living home with other dementia residents to see that dementia doesn't discriminate. All of those people have done something that's supposed to provide a protective benefit and all of them have dementia. It's an awful thing and if the pharmaceutical companies actually did come through with a "cure" (fat chance) no cost would be too great. I was her full time caregiver until it became unsafe for her to stay in her own home. It is heartbreaking, agonizing, frustrating, and exhausting to care for someone with dementia. Worse yet, it robs you of your loved one.

[Surya Gayatri]

23. So sorry you've had to experience this heartache.

'It is heartbreaking, agonizing, frustrating, and exhausting to care for someone with dementia.'
The worst way for someone to go, IMHO.

[Novara]

24. Seeing a loved one with dementia....

....will break your heart a million times. Then it will break it again. And again.

I'm deathly afraid that is my future too. Any breakthroughs will be too late for her but I hope they come up with effective treatments soon.

[Surya Gayatri]

25. Hoping for you...

[Novara]

27. Thanks

The idea of becoming like that is terrifying. I hope assisted suicide is legal before I get that way. Seeing her distress because she knows her mind isn't right is heartbreaking. There is nothing I can do to make it better for her. Thankfully she has excellent care.

[Surya Gayatri]

29. Bless you for staying by her side.

[uppityperson]

41. I am with you on that thought

Top late for our parents, fearing for myself. Best to you and your mom as I am shifting watching my dad die.

[mucifer]

26. Yeah I agree. My mom is in a similar situation

[Novara]

28. I hope the best for you and your mom too

And

[wordpix]

38. sorry, and I was my mom's main caregiver for AD, too

Heartbreaking experience.

[LeFleur1]

61. Early Onset

My sister died at age 52 from early onset alzheimers...confirmed by autopsy. It is an absolutely hideous disease. I didn't grieve that much when she died. I grieved when she was diagnosed. I grieved as I watched her lose herself. I grieved for all the years she lived with the disease (that we knew about), approximately seven. I grieved for my mother who watched her suffer with the news at the beginning, then saw her fade into the empty world. Today, when I think about it and remember those terrible years I'm grieving for the way she suffered, and for the way the family, as well as her friends, suffered. Even if there is nothing after death but a blank, it is better than the life she had for at least the last two years with alzheimers. So any news of a possible break through is happy news. This might not work, but if they discover one thing they didn't know about alzheimers, it's worth it.

[Novara]

62. You have my heartfelt sympathy.

It is such a heartbreaking disease.

[Thinkingabout]

30. For families with victims of Alzheimers any break through is good news.

The cost of caring for these patients is very high, hopefully the meds will be affordable. Most Alzheimers patients cause of death is other causes but you lose your loved one's interaction much before.

[Surya Gayatri]

31. Some people are poo-pooing this as just more hype.

I say, any new discovery about this curse is to be welcomed.

[Thinkingabout]

33. I am an optimist, instead of thinking everything is a failure I want to follow this to the end.

You are very right, any discovery is welcome. I had heard some years ago about the coffee drinkers, wouldn't this be so good.

[Surya Gayatri]

34. Coffee drinkers take heart! It's good for your brain! LOL!

[wordpix]

39. not only is the cost of care high, but Medicare doesn't cover

the cost of home help or facility care. These are far higher than the cost of drugs (which Med-care does cover), which don't work anyway. All they did for my mom was to calm her down when she was in her psychotic period at middle-late stage. But we were always trying to keep her calm without making her sleep all day, which was a difficult balancing act.

[valerief]

35. Now rich people won't get Alzheimer's. And regular people in socialized democracies.

But in our theocratic oligarchy, regular people can expect to get as much Alzheimer's and cancer the "free market" can throw at them.

[Surya Gayatri]

36. Whatever the market will bear...

And, Big Pharma has a death grip on the market.

[Novara]

43. But I would pay an arm and a leg....

....if I could have my Mom back. She's trapped in there, but she is no longer herself. Imagine how upsetting it is to know your mind isn't right, to be distressed by it, and you can't even really verbalize it let alone change it?

[Surya Gayatri]

45. Too angst-making to contemplate...

[AikenYankee]

50. Heartbreaking condition .....

hoping this will truly be a breakthrough.

[Politicalboi]

51. This is goon news and all

But I prefer the old stand by. It's cheap with NO side effects. It's been around since the dawning of man. It's called Marijuana. Just google MJ and Alzheimer's.

https://www.google.com/#q=Alzheimer%E2%80%99s+and+marijuana

[Vinca]

53. L-lysine is taken by some people to reduce herpes outbreaks. Apparently,

the herpes virus needs arginine in order to reproduce and l-lysine inhibits the production of arginine. Wouldn't it be amazing if an over-the-counter supplement was the key to stopping Alzheimer's?

[Sunlei]

60. dietary sources of essential amino acid-arginine

Animal sources
dairy products (e.g., cottage cheese, ricotta, milk, yogurt, whey protein drinks), beef, pork (e.g., bacon, ham), gelatin, poultry (e.g. chicken and turkey light meat), wild game (e.g. pheasant, quail), seafood (e.g., halibut, lobster, salmon, shrimp, snails, tuna)

Plant sources
wheat germ and flour, lupins, buckwheat, granola, oatmeal, peanuts, nuts (coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), chickpeas, cooked soybeans, Phalaris canariensis (canaryseed or alpiste)

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

63. How promising!

"The drug that was used to block the body’s immune response to arginine – known as difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) – is already being investigated in drug trials for certain types of cancer and may be suitable for testing as a potential Alzheimer’s therapy."

And since the drug is already out there, they may be able to start testing soon! That is such good news. It's nice to have hope for a change.

Considering how many of our elderly are in nursing homes due to alzheimer's disease, even if this drug were expensive, it would save Medicaid a lot of money in the long run, imo. More of our elderly could live independent lives, or semi-independently lives with the help of family and other caretakers.

[renate]

64. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be as easy as eating/supplementing arginine

It is found in food, including dairy products, meat, nuts and chickpeas, but the team at Duke said that their study did not suggest eating more arginine would have an impact on Alzheimer’s risk. The blood-brain barrier regulates how much arginine can enter the brain, and the immune response that breaks down arginine would remain the same even if confronted with higher levels of the nutrient.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/alzheimers-breakthrough-scientists-may-have-found-potential-cause-of-the-disease-in-the-behaviour-of-immune-cells--giving-new-hope-to-millions-10176652.html

Does the study suggest that people should eat more arginine or take dietary supplements? The answer is 'no,' Colton said, partly because a dense mesh of cells and blood vessels called the blood-brain barrier determines how much arginine will enter the brain. Eating more arginine may not help more get into the sites of the brain that need it. Besides, if the scientists' theory is correct, then the enzyme arginase, unless it's blocked, would still break down the arginine.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150414212313.htm

But at least they have a target now--arginase--which is a great start.