Researchers found that mild trauma can trigger a chain reaction in the brain
Repeated head injuries, such as concussions - a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease - may reactivate a common dormant virus in the brain, increasing the risk of AD and other neurodegenerative conditions.
HSV-1 can lie dormant in human cells for a lifetime, but when it re-awakens it can cause changes that resemble changes observed in AD patients’ brains. Professor Itzhaki, Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester, said: "Head injuries are already recognised as a major risk factor, as are the cumulative effect of common infections, for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, but this is the first time we have been able to demonstrate a mechanism for that process.
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