Emerging research points to brain fungus as a potential trigger for Alzheimer’s disease

A new study could be a potential game-changer as it focuses on how Alzheimer's might be connected to brain fungus. Currently, Baylor University has teams led by Dr. David B. Corry studying this connection. Their objective is to understand how the fungus enters the brain and exacerbates Alzheimer's.

Living with Alzheimer's is not easy to deal with. It's tough for individuals and their loved ones, as they have to go through excruciating stress mental and physical both. However, with ongoing research, scientists are determined to get to the root of the condition and find some potential solution.

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Could brain fungus be a hidden trigger for Alzheimer’s disease?

This fungus breaks the barrier between the blood and brain. (Image via Vecteezy)

In a fresh study published in Cell Reports, scientists went deep into the science behind how the brain deals with Candida albicans, a strange brain fungus. They want to know how this brain fungus pulls off the move of breaking through the barrier between the blood and the brain.

Dr. Yifan Wu, a member of Dr. Corry's team, shared some insights on their findings:

"C. albicans produces these enzymes called secreted aspartic proteases (Saps) that break down the blood-brain barrier. This lets the fungus sneak into the brain and cause damage."

Research is still under process to understand more about this brain fungus. (Image via Vecteezy)

Here's the twist, though. They also discovered that C. albicans triggers specific reactions in brain cells called microglia.

These reactions help clear out the fungus from the brain by breaking down these amyloid precursor proteins, similar to what goes down in Alzheimer's disease. The broken-down peptides then activate the microglial cells to fight off the infectious fungus.

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The role of C. albicans and toxic peptides

Creates toxic peptides inside the brain. (Image via Vecteezy)

That's not all, though. C. albicans also produces a protein known as candidalysin, which activates microglia through another receptor. Dr. Wu says:

"The activation of microglia by candidalysin plays a major role in clearing out Candida in the brain. Without this pathway, the fungus can't be wiped out effectively."

C. albicans creates toxic peptides. (Image via Vecteezy)

These findings have some seriously big implications. They could change our understanding of Alzheimer's disease.

Usually, we blame the toxic Ab-like peptides building up in the brain for causing Alzheimer's. Scientists think that the brain is their only source. However, the aforemetnioned study suggests that C. albicans might be producing these peptides too.

Dr. Corry elaborates:

"We believe that these Ab-peptide aggregates found in conditions like Alzheimer's may be generated not just by the brain itself, but also by C. albicans."

Surprisingly, C. albicans has been found in the brainsof people with Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders. So, it seems like this notorious fungus might have a major role in leading to these conditions.

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Connecting Candida albicans, a common fungus found in the body, to Alzheimer's could be a game-changer. The ability of this brain fungus to get into the brain and create toxic peptides is wild and challenges traditional thought on Alzheimer's causes.

The aforementioned research is a significant stepping stone to creating better prevention and treatment options for Alzheimer's and can ease the burden on individuals, families and society as a whole.