Artstract by: Alex Braun
Protein basics
To understand how to help prevent yourself from developing Alzheimer’s disease, it helps to have some background information about the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal buildup of proteins in and around the brain cells. One of these proteins is amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein, tau, deposits of which form tangles in the brain cells (NHS et al., 2021).
Amyloid Plaques
Amyloid is a protein fragment that the body produces naturally. Amyloid plaques are hard, insoluble accumulations of beta amyloid proteins that clump together between the neurons. The reason these plaques are hard to dissolve in the fluid between cells is because the enzyme that cuts the amyloid precursor protein (APP), cuts strands that are too large. Since these strands are too large, they are “sticky” and start clumping into deposits which are referred to as plaques (BrightFocus et al., 2020).
Neurofibrillary tangles
Neurofibrillary tangles are insoluble twist fibers primarily consisting of the protein, tau. These tangles form when tau is misfolded in a peculiar way. Specifically, in Alzheimer’s disease, tau forms a C-shape in the core in the core of the tangle with a loose end sticking out randomly. Once a tangle has been started, more tau proteins are recruited to make it longer (BrightFocus et al., 2020).
This all sounds scary, so how can one help prevent developing Alzheimer’s disease
Well, it’s not exactly as simple as just “do this and you won’t get Alzheimer’s” because life would be too easy if that was the case. You can however, live a healthy lifestyle and keep an active brain to help reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease
Cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s
Cardiovascular disease has been linked with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. You can reduce your risk of developing both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease by not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, eating a balanced diet, and exercising (NHS et al., 2021). I know this sounds redundant to say, but seriously, just live healthy and you’ll be better off.
Staying mentally active
There’s some evidence to suggest that rates of dementia are lower in people who remain mentally and socially active throughout their lives. One may be able to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by reading a book, learning a new language, playing an instrument, group sports, being social (NHS et al., 2021) One could also play “brain training” computer games which haven’t been fully proven to prevent Alzheimer’s, but who knows, you might even have some fun.
Other factors
Factors that are not directly responsible for Alzheimer’s disease but play a role in development include hearing loss, untreated depression, and loneliness (NHS et al., 2021) So, if you know someone who is lonely or depressed, go be their friend so you can help them reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Works cited
Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. BrightFocus Foundation. (2020, March 13). Retrieved from https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers-disease/infographic/amyloid-plaques-and-neurofibrillary-tangles.
NHS. (2021, July 5). Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease. NHS choices. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alzheimers-disease/causes/.
