Alzheimer’s GAME-CHANGER… or a DISTRACTION from the true cause?
It’s one of the GREATEST and most TERRIFYING mysteries of what happens to some folks as they get older.
I’m talking about Alzheimer’s disease.
Experts haven’t been able to pinpoint a single culprit behind this neurodegenerative disease…
And despite a number of nutritional interventions that could help… there’s NO CURE.
The great irony is that the more we learn about Alzheimer’s… the less we know.
Because every answer just leads to a thousand more questions!
The science behind this form of dementia is CONSTANTLY changing…
And now, the latest breakthrough could turn everything we THOUGHT we knew about it on its head.
But here’s why it may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
Alzheimer’s, 4 ways
One of the reasons why Alzheimer’s is so confusing could be because its actions aren’t always predictable…
And those inconsistencies have CONFOUNDED researchers.
Now, we may know why.
Alzheimer’s may not be a single disease!
In fact, scientists have come up with 4 different “subtypes” of Alzheimer’s – a differentiation that could explain one of the most BAFFLING aspects of the disease.
This latest research used PET scans to look specifically at the patterns of misshapen tau protein deposits…
And they found that they can actually affect Alzheimer’s patients in 4 different ways.
According to the findings, it all depends on where the tau spreads… and how much of it is present.
Type #1 WRECKS your memory, as it’s isolated to the medial temporal lobe (or “limbic” area), where the hippocampus is located. There, it doesn’t require A LOT of tau to wreak havoc.
Type #2 SABOTAGES aspects of executive function… like planning and action… as it’s located in a different part of the cerebral cortex. It’s also associated with an onset in younger folks.
Type #3 ATTACKS the visual cortex area of the brain… where it slowly INTERFERES with mechanisms that help you recognize where you are and keep you from forgetting where you are.
Type #4 DOMINATES the brain’s left hemisphere… where it could quickly escalate to the point of causing a loss for words and forgetting names.
No single one of the above types seems to be significantly more prevalent than the others…
Which means NO manifestation of Alzheimer’s can really be considered “typical.”
The researchers behind this latest study say that these findings could lead to more individualized therapies for Alzheimer’s — instead of a “one size fits all” approach.
But if you ask me, that’s a LONG way off.
The use of PET scans on suspected Alzheimer’s cases is relatively new on its own… having only been available in this country since 2012.
Since that time, it’s been used to identify beta-amyloid plaques, not tau.
Detecting tau requires a special imaging agent called flortaucipir F18… which the feds approved just last year.
Its availability may still be limited…
And after just 2 clinical trials, we don’t have a clear sense of what the long-term dangers might be.
Here are the most important takeaways from these latest findings, if you ask me…
- They ONLY include cases where tau proteins are abnormal… which doesn’t happen in every case of Alzheimer’s.
- They IGNORE how tau interacts with beta amyloid, which may be CRUCIAL to the emergence of Alzheimer’s pathology.
- By the time you’ve got SO MUCH tangled tau protein to show up significantly on a brain scan… it may be too late to do ANYTHING!
Besides, it’s very likely that those beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles aren’t themselves a root cause of Alzheimer’s…
Which means we’ve got to take a step back and find out what’s MISSHAPING those brain proteins!
That’s the only way we’ll be able to STAVE OFF Alzheimer’s-related cognitive deficiencies…
Or even REVERSE them.
To untangling the Alzheimer’s mystery,
Sarah Reagan
P.S. There may be a way to DIMINISH those “plaques and tangles” AND reverse memory impairments… with a simple vitamin trick. To find out more, just click right here.
