Dementia and The Immune System

In a discussion this morning about Mom’s health, something triggered a thought in me about how later stage dementia may affect the immune system.  This was, in part, due to Mom’s battle with an upper respiratory infection brought on by a bout of the “Crud” that goes around every year.  

Doing some research and typing in various keywords in search engines began to frustrate, as nothing really seemed to be answering what I really wanted.  And then - something magical happened - I tried some new keywords and phrases and ‘Voila!’ I began to find some information that began to address what I wanted.  

Apparently, the connections between dementia - especially Alzheimer’s (Lewy Body is following behind) - and the immune system are being researched as we breathe.  Yes, it’s a new frontier!  

Interestingly, the Alzheimer’s Society has discovered two genes which are affected and are in a vital struggle in Alzheimer’s.  These would be the TREM-2 and the CSF1R which play a pivotal role.  Should you be interested in reading more about this, then please read: Understanding how genes related to the immune system …  It’s technical but rather interesting - however, for my purposes, it helps with some foundational information, but at this moment, it’s not what I wanted.  

There appeared, too, another article which takes into account that dementia may be similar if not akin to Autoimmune Disease.  This, too, is interesting, but it, too, explores causes of dementia, rather than susceptibility to disease for dementia patients.  This article can be found:

Dementia As An Autoimmune Disorder.  

To be honest, reading these articles did stimulate thoughts, but for your sake I really wanted to keep the field a bit narrower, rather than explore too much (I dare hope I’ve not done that already)!

At last, I discovered something that tickled my neurons; while it also assesses the role of the immune system in dementia causes, it also marks a beginning of an exploration into what happens to the immune system for those with dementia.  The researcher, a vet from the UK, is just beginning her adventure, so reading through this is a snap!  How the immune system responds to proteins that cause …   My understanding, at this point, may be a tad warped, but just attempting to understand the links between the immune system and the degeneration of the brain functions is where I am headed.

And, finally, I found this quick bit.  Yes, it’s a YouTube video, but it’s of a young scientist who is embarking on just the journey (I think - I’m hoping I’m not overly tired at this point) I was hoping someone would take.  

The truth is, as the brain degenerates from the dementia the response of the immune system diminishes, leaving the patient more prone to infections and diseases from which their recovery becomes less and less.

If you’ve more information or links - or just some ability to generate more on this topic, I’d be very grateful!