2023-06-15 15:01:00
[헬스코리아뉴스 / 이충만] With the advent of Alzheimer’s treatment Lequembi (ingredient name: lecanemab) earlier this year, expectations for dementia treatment are rising. A stool sample can detect the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. As the currently used technology requires brain imaging, it is expected that the convenience of diagnosis will be further enhanced when this technology is commercialized.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA recently announced a study showing that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed early through the gut microbial ecosystem. The research results were published in the international journal Science on the 14th (local time).
The goal of the study is to analyze an individual’s gut microbiome to identify people at high risk of developing dementia, and to develop treatments that can adjust the gut microbiome to prevent cognitive decline.
Gut microbes make up most of the microbes in our bodies. It is known that there are regarding 4000 to 10,000 or more species, and the total amount of cells is more than 10 times greater than the total number of human cells. As an important companion of the cells in the body, intestinal microbes closely exchange signals and stimuli with each other to maximize their functions and help humans quickly adapt to the external environment.
It is a well-known fact through numerous studies that the gut microbiome ecosystem can affect various diseases. However, it is not yet known through what function microorganisms and each tissue interact.
“We don’t yet know if the gut microbiome affects the brain, or the brain affects the gut microbiome,” said Gautam Dantas, professor of genomic medicine and co-author of the study. If it can be found, it will provide an important clue to the treatment of dementia.”
He continued, “The hypothesis derived here is that an imbalance in the intestinal microbial ecosystem can be the cause of dementia.” That we can contribute,” he added.
With this prospect in mind, the research team recruited 164 trial participants with support from the relevant Alzheimer’s Research Center. Cognitive functioning of all participants was apparently normal. The researchers fed the participants the same diet to block any effects on their gut microbiome, and then collected stool, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid samples.
Previously, the research team explored the accumulation of beta amyloid and tau protein through brain imaging to distinguish between early-stage Alzheimer’s participants and healthy participants. Of the 164 participants, 49 showed signs of early Alzheimer’s disease.
The results showed that healthy people and people with early-stage Alzheimer’s had different bacterial species in their gut microbial ecosystems, even though they ate basically the same diets. The gut microbial ecosystem of Alzheimer’s patients was significantly different from that of healthy people.
It is already widely known in the academic world that the gut microbial ecosystem of patients with Alzheimer’s symptoms is in an imbalanced state. However, this is the first meaningful study of the intestinal ecosystem imbalance in patients before the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.
“These results shed light on the role of the gut microbial ecosystem as a target for early stage Alzheimer’s disease and disease diagnosis,” said the research team. It may be,” he said.
However, since this experiment was a small-scale, short-term study, it is pointed out that the scope of the experiment should be greatly expanded to confirm its effectiveness. An expert who did not participate in the experiment said, “Blind access to the gut microbial ecosystem may lead to other diseases.” said.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis undertook a follow-up study that would evaluate for up to five years to mature the findings. Professor Gautam Dantas said: “If an imbalance of the gut microbiome is confirmed as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation in the gut will be pointed out as the cause of the imbalance in the ecosystem.” can affect it,” he said.
He seems to expect that the imbalance of the intestinal microbial ecosystem will open a new treatment horizon. “Everything is speculative at the moment, but if a causal relationship is revealed, it will revolutionize the treatment of dementia,” said Professor Dantas.
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