Alzheimer’s Affects Biological Aging, Fat Metabolism, and Gut Health, Study Shows

Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias are Considers Designed of the Mind, and for Good Reason. The Primary Symptoms are cognitive changes that grow progressively more severe as time on.

For This Reason, Much of The Research into Dementia Focuses on the Brain and Nervous System. However, More Recently, Scientists Have Begun Exploring Alzheimer’s Influence on other Aspects of the Body.

The Authors of the New Study Explain How New Evidence Hints That the Effects of Alzheimer’s Extend Beyond the Nervous System to Other Parts of the Body. “For Example,” They Write, Alzheimer’s “have been Associated with Disruptions in the Gut Microbiota, Cardiovascular Function, and Hormone Homeostasis.”

They Also Explin How inflammation and reduced Immune Health Can contribute to Alzheimer’s Progression. Clearly, Alzheimer’s is not confined to the brain.

Alzheimer’s Disease is Characterized by A Buildup of Faulty Proteins in the Brain, Including Amyloid-Beta 42 And Tau.

As The Accumulate, They Form So-Called Amyloid Planks and Neurofibrillary Tangles, respectively. These Proteins Interferenso With Neurons Work and, eventually, Kill Them.

In Their Recent Study, The Researchers used fruit flies. Although Fruit Flies, as you May have noticed, are quite different from Humans, they have already provided many insights into human Health.

As The Researchers Write, “MANY MOLECULAR PATHOWAYS ARE CONSTERVED FROM FLIES TO MAMMALS.”

Medical News Today Contact Gurneet Sawhney, MD, Chief Neurogeon and Founder at Neurolife Brain and Spine Clinic, Who Was Not Involved in the Study. We Asked About the Usefulness of Fly Models in Neuroscience.

“Fruit Fly Models are surprisingly Valuable in Dementia Research. While They May Seem Simplistic,” I explained, “They Allow US to Study the Effects of Tau and Amyloid at A Genetic and Cellular Level, With Faster Results and Lower Complexity Than Mammalian Models.”

“They’ve Helped US Uncover Fundamentals Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration that offend translate into mammalian systems late,” He Said.

In the Current Experiment, The Scientists used flies with eithyloid or tau Buildup and Compare Them with control flies without protein Buildup.

The Refectchers Employed to Technique Calleed Whole-Organism Single-Nucleus Rna Sequencing. In a nutshell, This Involves Analyzing Genetic Information from Cell Nulei to Discover Which Genes Are Turned “On” in Specific Cell Types.

The Authors Investigated the Impact of Tau and Amyloid On A Range of Cell Types Throunge the Flies’ Bodies.

Amyloid’s Effects on The Nervous System

First, They examined the Cells of the Nervous System, Including Brain Cells, Nerve Cells in Their Body, and Glial Cells (Support Cells for Neurons).

They Found that Amyloid is the loss of many types of these cells compared with tau and control flies.

In particular, Cells Involved with the sensses, Such As Vision, Hearing, and Smell, Were Impacted Most Severely. Interestingly, Loss of Smell is an Early Sign of Alzheimer’s in Humans.

WHEN INVESTIGING THE MECHANISM Responsible for Neuronal Cell Death, The Refers Identified a Cluster of Neuronal Cells That Express Seed Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH). We Asked Sawhney Why This Matters:

“LDH PLAYS A Role in Cellular Energy Metabolism,” He explained, “and its Dysregulation Can indicate tissue stress or Damage. In the context of dementia, abnormal LDH Activity Might Reflect Broader Metabolic Dysfunction.”

IMPORTENTLY, The Scientists Also Identified Increased Levels of Ldh in the Brain Tissue from Humans With Alzheimer’s But Not Thue Without The Condition. According To Sawhney, This Increased LDH May “Link Neurodegeneration with Systemic Effects, As This Study Hints.”

The Scientists Also Showed That Cells with Elevated LDH Had Changes in Genes That Mithochondrial Control Functions. This is Important Mithochondrial Becouse Dysfunction is Linked To Oxidative Stress, which is an Early Feature of Alzheimer’s in Humans.

Tau’s Effects on The Body

Next, The Scientists Moved Their Attention to the Effects of Alzheimer’s Proteins on Cells Other Than Tose of the Nervous System. This Time, It was tau that produced the Most Significate Changes.

The Cell Types That Were Most Affffied Were Those Involved in Fatabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction. According to The Authors, “The Fly Body is a Central Storage Depot of Nutrients and Energy Reerves.” It Carries out a similar role to the Liver, Immune System, and Fat Tissue in Mammals.

They found that fat drugs in tau flies are Large Early On, but smaller smaller and more fragmented as the disease progress. The Refectchers The Looked at Fat Cells in A Mouse of Alzheimer’s – The Equivént of the Fly’s Fat Droots. Again, They Found Oversized Fat Cells Initially, Which Grew Smaller As The Disease Progressed.

Interestingly, Other Scientists have shown that the activity of Certain Types of Fat may influence Alzheimer’s Development in Humans, Too.

Assoid from changes in fatabolism, The Researchers Note Changes in the Behaviour of Cells in the Gut. In Line With This, Studies in Mice Have Also Shown That Tau Induces Gut Degeneration.

Finally, tau was Associated with ABILITY TO MALE FLIES. IN CONCORDANCE WITH THIS, STUDIES SHOW THAT A DECINE IN SEX HORGONES IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S IN HUMANS.

Tau’s Effects on Cellular AGING

According to the Authors, Changes in Fat Metabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction Are Associated With Aging. So, The Authors Hypothesize that tau’s witness in neurons may increased The Speed ​​of Aging Thourout the Rest of the Body.

By Measuring Gene Expression and Molecular Markers Associated with Fly Aving, The Scientists Found that Tau Flies, But Not Amyloid or Control Flies, Alded More Quickly.

Overall, they conclude that “Tau Expression Has A Broad Impact On Peripheral Tissues and Induces An Accelerated Aging Phenotype.”

To Understand How Tau In Neurons Has Such Wide-Ranging Effects On The Body, The Scientists Used Cell-Cell Communication Analysis, Which Can Identify Changes in How the Brain Communicates with the body.

Compared with Amyloid and Control Flies, Tau Flies Demonstrated Thousands of Differences in these Communication Pathways. The Cell Types Showing The Greatest Differences, Once Again, Were Involved with Fat Metabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction.

Asese results suggest that tau in the brain can influence cells in the rest of the body by interfering with brain-body communication.

Investigating Further, They Found that in Neurons Containing Tau, There Were Changes in the Gene Expression That Affected How Synapses – The Junction Between Nerve Cells – Are Organized.

There were Also Increased Levels of Synaptic Boutons in The Gut of Tau Flies. The Synaptic Boutons Are Swellings On Nerves at The Synapse That Contain Neurotransmitters, Which Pass Information from One Neuron to Another.

In Other Words, Tau in Brain Cells Can influence not Only How Neurons Work and Develop Within The Brain But Also How Effectively They Communicate with More Distant Tissues.

Overall, The Scientists.

They Also Found that ldh is elevated in Amyloid Flies, as Well as in Mice and Humans With Alzheimer’s. They Believe This Should Be an Area for Future Research, as ldh could perhaps be used as an early biomarker for Alzheimer’s.

Research on Flies is an important First Step in Scientific Research; IT Provides Direction for Future Studies on other Animals and, eventually, Humans.

While we need to interpret the results with Caution, Taken Together, They Provide New Insights into the Widespretad Effects of Alzheimer’s-Associated Proteins.

“The Focus On The Peripheral Effects of Tau and Amyloid Stands Out In This Study,” Sawhney Told MNT.

“We Often Think of these Proteins As Brain-Specific Problems, But This Work Highlights How Empres Impact May Extend Beyond the Central Nervous System.
– Gurneet Sawhney, MD