A Study on How Alzheimer’s Disease Connects to The Human Immune System

The immune system is the bodies strongest defense against serious illnesses, yet it cannot prevent every serious issue. Even the healthiest of individuals can contract a serious or even fatal non-communicable condition such as cancer and fibromyalgia just to name a few. The immune system is extremely complex in how it operates and defends the body from disease. In recent news, “fresh evidence that the body's immune system interacts directly with the brain could lead to a new understanding of diseases from multiple sclerosis to Alzheimer's.” If a link between the immune system and a mental degeneration issue can be found, then the possibility of discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s is more feasible than anticipated. The research behind this link is still relatively new, and tests are still being conducted to come to a further conclusion on how the Alzheimer’s condition can be silenced through the immune system. Studies of the brain have established quite a few links between the immune system and serious medical condition prevention. To expand on that point, “a study of human and monkey brains found lymphatic vessels — a key part of the body's immune system — in a membrane that surrounds the brain and nervous system, a team reported Tuesday in the online journal eLife.” Rigorous testing is only the first step towards discovering a cure or treatment for a serious disease. Furthermore, testing animals is an essential aspect of introducing a new treatment option to the world. For instance, “the new finding bolsters recent evidence in rodents that the brain interacts with the body's lymphatic system to help fend off diseases and remove waste. Until a few years ago, scientists believed that the brain's immune and waste removal systems operated independently.” Even until recently, the understanding of Alzheimer’s has long been shrouded in uncertainty, and there are several more discoveries to be made on behalf of the condition. To find a link between Alzheimer’s and the body’s immune system, the Alzheimer’s issue itself requires examination.

What is Alzheimer’s?

The Alzheimer’s condition is a more advanced form of dementia, a disease that slowly eats away at the tissues of the brain. Dementia in itself is not that harmful of a condition due to its slow progression. However, Alzheimer’s effects the structure of the brain much faster and more aggressively than the more timid forms of dementia. In fact, “Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.” A large portion of the dementia community suffers from the Alzheimer’s condition, making this illness an epidemic. Alzheimer’s cannot be caught, yet it is closely associated with genetics and hereditary traits. Alzheimer’s and dementia are considered to be conditions for the elderly, yet early onset dementia or Alzheimer’s is prevalent in North America among several other countries. A recent study revealed that “the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease (also known as early-onset Alzheimer’s).” This statistic can come across as startling to the individuals that believe that Alzheimer’s and dementia only attack the elderly and mentally ill. The most frightening aspect of the Alzheimer’s condition spawns from the uncertainty of the condition itself. Many individuals know of Alzheimer’s or have at least heard about the condition, yet this disease is not completely comprehendible. By definition, “Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment.” Since the Alzheimer’s disease destroys the fabric of the mind, the once normal bodily functions of the Alzheimer’s patient have been compromised. With the mind compromised, the body will follow the digressive path of the mental health condition. This will also directly influence the body’s immune system, creating a link between Alzheimer’s and the defense system of the body.

What Does the Immune System do?

The immune system serves as an armor of sorts, and it defends the body against specific irritations. These irritations include bacteria and any foreign element that the body considered harmful. A normal functioning immune system does its best to eliminate and prevent chronic illness such as multiple sclerosis. To expand on that note, “the immune system interacts with the brain is fundamental to how multiple sclerosis develops and how we treat multiple sclerosis," Reich says. However, the immune system is unable to prevent the body from contracting more damaging conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. As far as Alzheimer’s and dementia operate, the chemistry and the structural integrity of the brain is compromised. For instance, “these diseases occur as certain toxic waste products accumulate in the brain. And lymphatic vessels appear to be part of the system that usually removes these waste products.” With the brain not operating the way it was designed, the immune system has almost no chance of defending the body. To elaborate on that point, “the immune system protects the body like a guardian from harmful influences from the environment and is essential for survival. It is made up of different organs, cells and proteins and aside from the nervous system, it is the most complex system that the human body has.” Each organ works together in order to form a functional body and create a healthy and active human being. The immune system is tangible in the sense of how it can be treated or enhanced. Despite the normal functions of the immune system, a deconstructive mental illness such as Alzheimer’s can destroy the entire body of left untreated.

How is the Immune System linked to Alzheimer’s?

Since every section of the body is connected through a series of organs and vessels, the immune system plays a major role in how everything in the body is protected. In recent studies, there has been “some evidence that there are vessels here that are behaving different from blood vessels," Reich says. "But we weren't sure that they were lymphatic vessels." The blood vessels in the brain are incredibly necessary for the immune system to work as well as it can. Blood provides oxygen to the brain as well as every other organ in the body, only further creating a link between the immune system and serious medical conditions. To put it into perspective, “without an immune system, a human being would be just as exposed to the harmful influences of pathogens or other substances from the outside environment as to changes harmful to health happening inside of the body.” The brain is perhaps the most important organ in the body besides the heart, which is also controlled by the brain. Every organ in the body takes its orders from the brain, otherwise known as the control center for the body. The brain is essentially the nucleus for the body, and the Alzheimer’s disease would be considered the enemy to the brains normal operations.

Alzheimer’s as a disease is detrimental to the mental state of a once healthy individual. It is widely understood that quality health is a product of a proper and balanced diet, as well as a productive exercise regimen. However, there are exceptions to this basic human principle on a healthy lifestyle. For example, “illness can occur if the performance of the immune system is compromised, if the pathogen is especially aggressive, or sometimes also if the body is confronted with a pathogen it has not come into contact before.” The immune system attacks almost every foreign entity that enters the body, yet it cannot defend the body against every problem that the body comes in contact with. The research behind how the body reacts to certain substances and diseases is conducted each day. Today, scientists are generating new and innovative ideas to find a link between the immune system and harmful diseases such as Alzheimer’s. For instance, “scientists injected a special dye into the bloodstream, then watched to see where it went. They focused on the dura mater, the outermost membrane that protects the brain and nervous system.” Scientists are currently trying to pin point exactly where the Alzheimer’s disease is developed in the brain. Following the path of the fluids in the brain should serve as an indication of where the actual problem is located. Scientists and researchers found that “it wasn't clear how these waste products were draining out of the head. Now it appears that at least some of the waste might be exiting through the lymphatic system.” Alzheimer’s appears to be unstoppable in the society of today, yet this is not entirely true. As of right now, there is no cure for the Alzheimer’s dementia condition, but medical science is incredibly close to solving this complication. The Alzheimer’s condition takes so much away from the brain, yet giving up on finding a cure is a memory that needs to be erased. As long as an individual is alive, there will always be hope for a cure.