Your brain is your most powerful organ, yet weighs only about three pounds. It has a texture similar to firm jelly. It uses 20% of the total oxygen in your body and generates 10 to 23 watts of power: enough to power a light bulb.
This week we took a look into the brains’ signaling pathway of people living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).
“Today, 47 million people live with dementia worldwide, more than the population of Spain. This number is projected to increase to more than 131 million by 2050, as populations age. Dementia also has a huge economic impact. Today the total estimated worldwide cost of dementia is US$818 billion and it will become a trillion dollar disease by 2018.”
What exactly does Alzheimers do to the brain? Can I prevent this disease from happening to me? These were some of the questions that we asked but the more we learned the more questions we had!
The main signaling pathway that we associated with AD was the P13K or phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases. This pathway is activated by insulin, or insulin like growth factor.
Wait insulin in the brain? I thought insulin was used to regulate blood sugar?
You’re right it does regulate blood sugar in the kidneys but it also is used to activate neurons in the brain. This pathway regulates cell survival, growth and death. This means that homeostasis of this pathway is vital for healthy cognitive function.
When this pathway goes unchecked, somewhat like defective stoplights at a busy intersection during rush hour, this is where Alzheimer’s disease begins to show. Many different things can go wrong like over activation of the P13K pathway; insulin resistance so the pathway doesn’t get activated at all; or specific proteins being turned off/on at the wrong times. There were so many opposing forces we couldn’t even get good grasp on all of them. However, the main picture was it is all about balance and things happening at the right time.
If you want more clarification, here is a link to a slide show that Alzheimers.org has that shows step by step what happens to the brain of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
http://www.alz.org/braintour/severe_stage.asp
Prevention. Everyone wants to know what they can do to prevent a disease that harms them and the people surrounding them. The hard part is there is no set prescription that will guarantee a person will not develop the disease.
We often look to genetics to find if we are going to develop a disease, but only 1% of the population has the genetic predisposition for the disease. This means that outside environmental factors are a more likely cause, and taking the extra steps to slow or stop the disease is the best advice.
The prescription for decreasing your chances of getting Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Regular Exercise
- Eating Healthy
- Quality Sleep
- Stress Management
- Active Social Life
- Metal Stimulation
Do these sound like the prescription for other types of disease? Yep! The key to AD is a healthy lifestyle. There is no one drug or vitamin that can eliminate this disease from the lives of many people, but doing your best to be healthy can greatly improve your outlook.
Since this is such an expensive and devastating disease for patients and their families, why not try to do your best to prevent it.
“What the mind can’t remember the heart never forgets” -Unknown
This is the start of another good Fall on Cobbers on the Brain. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway is critical for neuroprotection. This pathway ensures the regeneration of neurons in the hippocampus as well as an adequate flow of blood in the brain.
Two factors inhibit the activation of this pathway in the brain: the presenilin 1 gene mutation which is one of the causes of early onset Alzheimer’s disease and nitration mediated by peroxynitrite which leads to late onset Alzheimer’s disease.
“Wild-Type But Not FAD [Familial Alzheimer’s Disease] Mutant Presenilin-1 Prevents Neuronal Degeneration by Promoting Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Neuroprotective Signaling.”
Together, our data indicate that the neuroprotective role of PS1 depends on its ability to activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and that PS1 FAD mutations increase GSK-3 activity and promote neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting the function of PS1 in this pathway.
“Two distinct signaling pathways regulate peroxynitrite-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells.”
Peroxynitrite induces inactivation of the Akt pathway.
When peroxynitrite is scavenged, water is formed and water is a putative de-nitrating agent. This allows for some regeneration of neurons in the hippocampus and better blood flow in the brain.
In addition to nitration, oxidation inhibits the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters needed for the retrieval of short-term memory, sleep, mood, social recognition, and alertness. Certain antioxidants/peroxynitrite scavengers can partially restore receptor function and the synthesis of critical neurotransmitters.
A Mediterranean diet or certain diets from Asia inhibit the formation of peroxynitrite in the first place and may help at least delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.