Stem cell therapies and Alzheimer’s disease
For example, when a person is exposed to stress in the long term, it can lead to neuronal wear and tear. Animal studies have shown that repeated stress exposure shrinks neuronal dendrites, strips synapses, and stunts the brain’s ability to grow new neurons. Those in society who report chronic stress have less grey matter in their prefrontal cortex. 32 Grey matter contains most of the brain’ s neuronal cell bodies. Hence, less stress could increase a person’s resilience to the impacts of AD. Diet plays a major role in reducing the risk from AD and changes to a patient’s diet is a form of treatment. The blood brain barrier protects the brain by controlling what substances can pass from the blood into brain tissue. If excessive amounts of bacteria make it pass the blood brain barrier, they can activate the brain’s immune cells, the microglia. In AD, this barrier is damaged. Once this has been weakened, bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances can get into the brain more easily. It has been found that the density of bacteria is eight times higher in Alzheimer’s brains than healthy brains. This worsens the problems caused by AD as bacteria can evade host defence mechanisms and ultimately help lead to the formation of plaques and tangles. The overstimulation of microglia also exacerbates the issue. The Mediterranean diet is filled with anti-bacterial foods, such as garlic, olive oil, and honey, which has been suggested by ongoing trials to slow cognitive decline and influence higher cognitive function. Those who followed a Mediterranean diet in another study, had thicker cortical brain regions that those who did not. This shows a link between diet and the potential reduction of plaques and tangles in the brain. 33 The most common type of prevention specialists suggest is regular exercise. As concluded from tests on lab mice, aerobic exercise can reduce the build-up of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. This occurs by activation of a cellular process called autophagy. 34 Autophagy is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, to regenerate newer, healthier cells. This process helps neurons better cope with stress and extend their lifespan. A protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the main cause of promoting birth of new neurons and is seen more in brains of those who do regular exercise. There has been increasing scientific evidence and studies regarding the prevalence of a glymphatic system during sleep, which is involved in cleaning up the brain through glymphatic channels. Glial cells are involved in clearing the brain of waste products such as beta-amyloid. Individuals who get an average of less than 6 hours of sleep over the course of their lives have a greater amount of beta amyloid later in life. This was shown in a study done by neuroscientist Matthew Walker, who found from his study that those with lower beta amyloid levels in the brain scored better on a memory recall test after a night of sleep. 35 Hence, good quality sleep can be a prevention method in the long term in preventing excess build-up of beta amyloid and hence neurodegenerative loss from AD. Lastly, helping diagnose and treat dementia early is being aware of the risk factors. The earlier the diagnosis of the patient, the longer treatment can last for and potentially improve the quality of life for the patient in comparison to if they were diagnosed in a later stage of the disease. For example, age is a risk factor for dementia. From looking at statistics, at least 1 in 20 people with dementia developed it
32 Jebelli 2017a: 109-10. 33 Ibid.: 114-15. 34 Ibid.: 118. 35 What's the connection between sleep and Alzheimer's disease? 2020.
145
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator