What is it about?
Glucose is the preferred fuel of the human brain. But the brain does not get its glucose directly from the blood, it first has to pass through our blood-brain barrier, the protective barrier that controls the types and amounts of substances allowed into the central nervous system where the brain resides. There may always be glucose in our blood, but evidence shows that as we age, less and less can make through our blood-brain barrier. In some individuals the situation develops where the brain no longer receives glucose/energy it requires for all its energy needs. As this takes place, evidence suggests that changes occur in how the brain operates and these changes are likely to be what puts the brain on the road toward Alzheimer's disease.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains the only disease in the top ten causes of death for which there are no effective treatments or definitive preventive measures. Understanding the underlying mechanism that causes the brain to develop AD has been difficult to uncover. This article proposes a key mechanism and how it ties together existing evidence. This can open the door to new methods of diagnosis and treatment, as well as the possibility of identifying the risk earlier in life and stopping the process before any onset of cognitive symptoms - well before AD has a chance to begin. The mechanisms identified also provide new therapeutic hopes for those already in the grips of this terrible disease.
Perspectives
Much of the approach to treating Alzheimer's disease deals with treating those already diagnosed. This paper provides an explanation of "why" this disease happens in the first place, and that this is a process that begins well before any onset of cognitive symptoms. If, as proposed and supported in this paper, Alzheimer's disease results from a progressive, aging-related energy deficiency unique to the brain, we can develop strategies to counter the circumstance that fosters the development of Alzheimer's disease before it has a chance to start. There is also an important message regarding diet and lifestyle. A healthful, plant-based, whole foods diet, along with an active lifestyle, lowers the risk of a list of health issues including those involving the vascular system, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and heart disease. Evidence has already associated healthful diets and lifestyles with a decreased risk of AD, but an understanding of the mechanism has been elusive. The neuroenergetic hypothesis described in this paper provides a plausible rationale for this association, adding AD to that list, and providing yet another reason to take care of ourselves. There is a 2-page step-by-step explanation using less-scientific concepts at: https://goo.gl/LwYP5z
Edward Blonz
University of California, San Francisco
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Alzheimer’s Disease as the Product of a Progressive Energy Deficiency Syndrome in the Central Nervous System: The Neuroenergetic Hypothesis, Journal of Alzheimer s Disease, November 2017, IOS Press,
DOI: 10.3233/jad-170549.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
