John Stainbrook
Mrs. Ames
Anatomy per.4
10/18/18
A Cure for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is one of the most prevalent and destructive diseases around today, taking away peoples very personalities, and memories, and it has a cure. Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease, and one of the most common diseases in elderly people in America. Alzheimer’s can ruin families and destroy lives and many work tirelessly to find a cure. One doctor from “pubmed.gov” describes what a diagnosis of this disease can mean to not just the patient but their surrounding family, “Understanding the stressors that affect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, their families, and caregivers, enables us, as a society to provide the support and care both the patient and their families need to try to live a happy and healthy life despite living with the diagnosis of AD. The diagnosis of AD not only affects the patient, but it affects the entire family…” Alzheimer’s doesn’t just destroy a person from the inside out; it hurts everyone around the one who is diagnosed. Many theories regarding possible causes and factors of Alzheimer’s exist, which could eventually lead to a cure. Understanding the possible causes of Alzheimer’s is crucial to staying healthy. A paper published by “Harvard med” outlines possible ways to mitigate the possibility of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, “Healthy habits may help ward off Alzheimer's. Consider the following steps.
Exercise. "The most convincing evidence is that physical exercise helps prevent the development of Alzheimer's or slow the progression in people who have symptoms," says Dr. Marshall. "The recommendation is 30 minutes of moderately vigorous aerobic exercise, three to four days per week."
Eat a Mediterranean diet. "This has been shown to help thwart Alzheimer's or slow its progression. A recent study showed that even partial adherence to such a diet is better than nothing, which is relevant to people who may find it difficult to fully adhere to a new diet," says Dr. Marshall. The diet includes fresh vegetables and fruits; whole grains; olive oil; nuts; legumes; fish; moderate amounts of poultry, eggs, and dairy; moderate amounts of red wine; and red meat only sparingly.
Get enough sleep. "Growing evidence suggests that improved sleep can help prevent Alzheimer's and is linked to greater amyloid clearance from the brain," says Dr. Marshall. Aim for seven to eight hours per night.” These healthy steps could be a great way to avoid Alzheimer’s as you age. Such seemingly trivial things such as a good nights sleep and proper exercise could change your life, so being aware is highly important. However, it is very rare, as described in the Harvard document, to have a concrete reason for diagnosis. In 1% of Alzheimer’s cases three specific genes can definitively tell wither you will have Alzheimer’s or not. In 99% of all cases denatured or weakened amyloid and/or tau proteins are closely associated with the reason for memory less and other primary function deficits, however there are several factors that have been noted as a possible contributor to the development of symptoms such as inflation of the brain, lifestyle, and vascular risk factors. All in all, healthy practices can be some of the most effective to decrease the chances of Alzheimer’s. But for all there is known on how to “prevent” it what is known about what causes it? A new study on a special kind of protein reveals a possible cause of AD “Chitin is a β-linked straight chain carbohydrate matrix monopolymer prominent in invertebrates, from fungi to arthropods. Surprisingly, chitin is now documented in vertebrates, including humans, a component of vertebrate physiology that has been neglected until now. Chitin levels are elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, not only in the central nervous system but also in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma. Elevated levels of chitin lectin have been reported in patients with AD. Chitinase activity varies widely in the human population. Chitin levels can increase in individuals with intrinsically low chitinase activity. Elevated amounts of chitin can reflect accumulation of the small chitin fragments that remain wherever rapid hyaluronan synthesis occurs. Another source of chitin may be from remote fungal infections. Chitin can be toxic for neurons, and its accumulation may lead to the development of AD. We present new suggestions for animal models and treatment modalities that could prove useful in future research endeavors. An unexpected connection with Gaucher's disease patients and their heterozygote relatives is also identified. These chitin-related mechanisms are novel approaches to AD whose etiology until now has defied explication.” The etiology (development of) Alzheimer’s has for long been unknown, with theories on stress being the possible cause on an aging mind, or dopamine levels declining, leading to an eventual decay of neuron responsiveness. However, promising new research such as this reveals a possible “why?” the disease happens. “Chitin”, a carbohydrate has been discovered to increase in patients displaying symptoms of Alzheimer’s. This organic molecule has proven to be toxic for neurons and research is proving it to be very possible that the accumulation of these particles is could be responsible for AD. Several new studies have been proposed to test this theory on animals, which could have groundbreaking results. If large amounts of this Chitin molecule were injected into an animal and symptoms Alzheimer’s were to occur, that could be a big step towards finding a cure. But what is chitin? How could we combat its effects? Chitin is defined as being a fibrous substance composed of multiple polysaccharides, and is the primary building block in the exoskeleton of arthropods and cell walls of fungus. Ironically, there are many studies that say the use of chitin is beneficial for your health. Many people take Chitin supplements to manage healthy cholesterol levels, support kidney health, manage weight, and it is also believed to bolster healing capabilities of the skin. Chitin is found in common foods such as clams, crabs, shrimp, lobster, etc.. All having an arthropod skeleton Chitin is highly present. Could chitins high presence in our society be of cause or reason for the ever-increasing rate of Alzheimer’s diagnosis? Every year more people then the last year receive Alzheimer’s diagnosis; could using chitin to “improve health” be the cause of this? Chitin is not just common in health products; chitin is used as “filler” for many over the counter pharmaceuticals and medications in general. “Chitin and chitosan derivatives are used as excipients and drug carriers in the pharmaceutical field. Their derivatization contributed to expansion of application and decrease toxicity.” (PubMed page 303-9) With chitin not only common in foods and “miracle products” but also common in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals a picture is starting to be painted. Alzheimer’s is most prevalent in those who are of ages 65 and above. As people age they tend to take more medications and “health substances” to counteract the various aches and pains associated with getting older. Thus several of these medications are jam packed full of chitin. Could this be of cause? Could the reason for the diagnosis of this horrible disease be associated with the increased consumption of chitin at older ages? As you age the likelihood of Alzheimer’s increases, “The number of Americans living with Alzheimer's is growing — and growing fast. An estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s. An estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer's dementia in 2018. This number includes an estimated 5.5 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's.” (alz.org) As shown by this figure from alzheimers.org 5 and a half million people are living with Alzheimer’s currently who are above the age of 65 and a meager in comparison 200,000 under the age of 65. The way society and life currently is and has long been encouraged is the vast use of pharmaceuticals, over the counter remedies, miracle products, etc. as you age. 97% of Alzheimer’s patients are above the 65-year age marker while the remaining three are not. It is increasingly difficult to dismiss this a coincidence as chitin is known to be a neurotoxin and while some may say “Alzheimer’s just comes with age”, sure the trend points that way but each year more are diagnosed than the last making it difficult to simply dismiss it as a natural phenomenon. With all of our focus on the 97% of victims, what about the remaining 3%? Where do they fall into this equation? Online it is reported that the youngest diagnose of Alzheimer’s was only 27 years old. While others can be seen being diagnosed as young as 40, which pokes a hole in the argument that Alzheimer’s just naturally comes with age. “…We went to Ken’s primary care doctor. He suggested maybe it was depression, but Ken didn’t feel depressed. The doctor put him on antidepressants anyway. The symptoms didn’t go away. After seven or eight months, I thought, this is getting ridiculous. That’s when we went to see the neurologist who tested Ken and concluded he had early-onset Alzheimer’s — a week before his 30th birthday.
At first, I thought the doctor was joking. I didn’t know people could get Alzheimer’s so young. But the follow-up PET and CT scans confirmed the diagnosis. We were then told we had just 7 to 10 “good” years left with Ken. That was six years ago…”(every day health.com) this account shows a depressing story about a man who at just 30 years old was diagnosed with the disease. While not even being close to “old” the diagnosis obviously came as a shock to this family and will damage them for the rest of their lives. When diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at a young age or, “before the age of 65” it is classified as early onset Alzheimer’s which accounts for the 200,000 people living with Alzheimer’s under the age of 65 in north America. With cases like these being a rare but very real occurrence it begs the question, “why?” People who have Down syndrome naturally will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s if they survive long enough, but for people like Ken, the oddballs, what is the cause? Anomalies such as his account for a small yet large enough populous of people to cause uncertainty in the medical field. Could chitin be of cause? An interesting thing to look into would be what these anomalies lives are like; do they have a preexisting condition requiring them to take lots of medication? Do they eat lots of foods constantly with chitin in them? Do they use chitin itself as some miracle product? All would deliver crucial information and could lead to a more conclusive result on weather or not chitin could have a role in the ever-increasing number of Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. Alzheimer’s currently does not have a cure. The only viable treatment option for the disease is simple symptom suppression. “Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease currently has no cure. But doctors have had some success in helping people maintain mental function, control behavior, and slow the progression of the disease. The drugs that are used to help people maintain mental function include donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), galantamine (Razadyne), and memantine (Namenda). The results have been mixed, but these drugs seem to help people with their symptoms for anywhere from a few months to a few years. Other therapies that may play a role in slowing the progress of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease include physical activity, cardiovascular and diabetes treatments, antioxidants, and cognitive training. A number of studies are ongoing in this area, and researchers are learning new things about Alzheimer’s disease every day.”(columbianeurology.org) While therapies and medicines to combat memory loss exist, there is no cure. Many believe that there will never be a cure, considering it a natural process that once it takes hold it cannot be rectified. But what about prevention? Chitin looks to be at least of some culprit to the rise of Alzheimer’s in America. Chitin could play a significant role in the development of the Alzheimer’s disease. But what does that mean? If chitin truly is the cause for the spike in the Alzheimer’s disease in recent years what can be done to help decline the rapid growth of people being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Perhaps drug companies should heed this dangerous possibility and use a different ingredient for the inactive structure agent in their medications. Chitin furthermore should be ousted as a health product because it is proven to be present in higher numbers in the blood of Alzheimer’s patients and has been proven to effectively be a neurotoxin that can corrupt synapses. With all this talk of how to possibly decrease the amount of people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is there any research on how one might possibly reverse its effects? A paper published on PubMed describes a possible solution to a major aspect of the Alzheimer’s disease “Selenium (Se) deficiency is believed to be involved in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to failure of antioxidant system. Its supplementation may restore the antioxidant system and compensate the impairments caused by AD. Present study reveals the effect of Se on the proteomic changes in cortex within triple transgenic male AD mice (3 × Tg-AD) after 4 months sodium selenate supplementation. Using iTRAQ comparative proteomics approach, 142 proteins found significant alterations with 96 down-regulated and 46 up-regulated proteins in the cortices of AD mice in comparison with the wild non-transgenic type mice. On treatment with sodium selenate, 41 proteins showed reverse expression, that is, thirty three proteins were down-regulated in AD mice but up-regulated in selenate treated AD mice while eight up-regulated proteins in AD mice showed lower expression in selenate treated mice. OmicsBean bioinformatics analysis revealed that Se positively affected the proteins vital in biological process, structural cores, and molecular functions,” (PubMed) this new research shows that selenium degeneration being a cause of the Alzheimer’s disease, has effects that can be reversed as shown in the response from the mice. If the regeneration of proteins in the brain is possible than is a cure for Alzheimer’s not? While there is currently no “treatment” for the Alzheimer’s disease if caught early there is cutting edge research that suggests the effects may possibly be able to be reversed. “Soluble amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers, also known as Aβ-derived diffusible ligands (ADDLs) play an important role in AD. Synaptic activity and cognition critically depend on the function of glutamate receptors. Targeting N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors trafficking and its regulation is a new strategy for AD early treatment. EphB2 is a key regulator of synaptic localization of NMDA receptors. Aβ oligomers could bind to the fibronectin repeats domain of EphB2 and trigger EphB2 degradation in the proteasome. Here we identified that overexpression of EphB2 with lent viral vectors in dorsal hippocampus improved impaired memory deficits and anxiety or depression-like behaviors in APPswe/PS1-dE9 (APP/PS1) transgenic mice. Phosphorylation and surface expression of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors were also improved. Overexpression of EphB2 also rescued the ADDLs-induced depletion of the expression of EphB2 and GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors trafficking in cultured hippocampal neurons. These results suggest that improving the decreased expression of EphB2 and subsequent GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors trafficking in hippocampus may be a promising strategy for AD treatment.” (PubMed) More and more research like this comes out every day and gives hope that there must be a cure for AD. With prolonged research and more extensive study a more formidable cure may surface for the treacherous Alzheimer’s disease. However promising new studies and research is showing a trend that the earlier signs of the disease are caught and treatment is started the more effective it will be at slowing or potentially stopping and reversing the affects of the disease. A common practice in the modern day is something known as “cognitive therapy” a kind of therapy where somebody who has AD or dementia is consoled by a professional therapist that does a reality orientation and effectively attempts to retrain different cognitive skills that the patient used to possess. “Cognitive therapy is a well-established intervention for treating elderly suffering from dementia. In particular, reality orientation and skills training seem to be effective interventions for reversing cognitive impairment among elderly, although findings are inconclusive. Therefore, a systematic update of the existing evidence of cognitive therapy for people suffering from dementia is needed….Skills training trials and mixed trials seem to affect cognitive impairment in a positive way, although the results are inconclusive. Comparison between studies was difficult due to differences in form of intervention. Because findings are inconclusive, more structuralized and comparable randomized controlled trials are needed.” (PubMed) Cognitive therapy is an important aid as scientists search to find a cure or treatment for the Alzheimer’s disease as remembering ones very family members and the ability to walk and speak are basic human needs, the loss of which should be prevented at all costs for the longest amount of time possible. In order to effectively understand and possibly develop a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, we must understand what it is beyond just a loss of brain function. Alzheimer’s is known as a progressive neurogenic disorder that over time corrupts synapses in the brain and negatively affects the brains ability to send signals and remember basic things. Some of the most serious consequences of the Alzheimer’s disease include losing the ability to breath on your own, speak understandably, and even as simple as the ability to walk. While the effects are noted many disagree on the exact protein denaturing or exact disorder that causes the disease. Many believe it is genetic not just for those born with irreversible damage to their brain but a problem in ones very genome that is simply by chance. Others believe it is due to poor health practices and not staying in shape. Some believe it is due to laziness and not keeping the brain active. But down to the very molecular level where a clear result would be indisputable there is still no one exact pinpointed failure of the brain that leads to the neurogenic disorder. ” Despite the many attempts to understand the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease, the basic mechanisms accounting for the progressive cycle of neuronal loss are still unknown. Previous work has suggested that the pivotal molecule mediating neurodegeneration could be an independently acting peptide cleaved from acetyl cholinesterase. This previously unidentified agent acts as a signaling molecule in selectively vulnerable groups of cells where erstwhile developmental mechanisms are activated inappropriately to have a toxic effect in the context of the mature brain. We have previously shown that the toxic actions of this peptide, whose level is doubled in the Alzheimer brain, can be blocked by a cyclized variant (NBP14). However, the size and properties of NBP14 would render it unlikely as a feasible therapeutic candidate.” (PubMed) Pinpointing the exact failure of the brain could prove crucial to one day finding a possible cure for the disease, as it is awfully hard to fix something if you don’t know what to fix. But nonetheless the brain is a labyrinth of complex structures, neuron arrangements, hormones, proteins, synapses, etc. granting any and all disorders in it hard to pinpoint. Similar neurological disorders such as down syndrome, autism, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, etc.. are some of the most complex disorders to date who’s cure is either factually impossible or researched by many yet to still no avail. In the future it may be possible to know exactly what protein or synapse or toxin or whatever it may be is of cause of the Alzheimer’s disease and when that day comes it will be a big day for not just AD but for all neurological disorders. Whether treatment is as simple as being a healthier person, eliminating chitin from popular society and pharmaceuticals, pinpointing an exact protein or toxin that causes it and combatting or supplementing a solution, etc. However one thing is for certain, the amount of people diagnosed with the disease year over year hasn’t stayed the same, hasn’t fluctuated reasonably, hasn’t decreased, its increasing, at an almost exponential rate. One thing is for sure something in our society or the air or somewhere is causing an increase in the prevalence of the disease and where there is a problem there is always a solution. If there truly is no cure for some there surely is something to be done to prevent it. One way or another modern Alzheimer’s is a problem that has a solution.