It has been reported that there is a specific fungal infection in the brain that could trigger symptoms that are similar to Alzheimer’s. Check out the latest reports about the matter below.
Fungal brain infection
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered that the human brain undergoes changes similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease when infected with a common fungus. The research team investigated the molecular mechanisms that drive the process, using animal models.
They found that the fungus called Candida albicans (C. albicans) enters the brain, activates mechanisms for its clearance, and generates toxic protein fragments similar to amyloid beta (Aβ), which is believed to be central to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings were published on October 10th in the journal Cell Reports. Although previous research has linked fungi with chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, the mechanisms behind it are not yet fully understood.
A Microbial Cause of Alzheimer’s?
A study published in the journal NeuroSci in 2022 examined whether dementia has a microbial cause. The research found that infectious agents, such as fungi, may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
“Our lab has years of experience studying fungi, so we embarked on the study of the connection between C. albicans and Alzheimer’s disease in animal models,” said Dr. David Corry, one of the study’s authors and a professor of pathology and immunology and medicine at Baylor College in a news release on Oct. 17.
“In 2019, we reported that C. albicans does get into the brain, where it produces changes that are very similar to what is seen in Alzheimer’s disease. The current study extends that work to understand the molecular mechanisms.”
After discovering that a fungal infection in the brain caused by C. albicans can be healed in healthy mice within ten days, researchers aimed to investigate how the brain effectively clears the infection.
Dr. Corry and his team had previously conducted research that showed the fungus triggered two mechanisms in microglia, a type of brain cell, which ultimately led to the clearance of the fungal infection. These findings were published in January 2019 in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
