Why Dementia is no longer an incurable syndrome
- Lisa Lee
- Dec 1, 2020
- 3 min read
It is no exaggeration to say dementia is the most violent syndrome that humans can ever suffer from. Soon, we won’t be able to recognise our loving family members, and all those ecstatic memories that we shared with our valued ones will vanish away as if nothing had happened. The excruciating thing about this syndrome is that it gives us a faint hope that one day it will be cured — even though the medication only slows down the progression. However, recently, a South Korean research team discovered the exact cause of Dementia for the first time in the world, meaning that we are a step closer to the success of a development of a cure for dementia.
Originally, Dementia (and Alzheimer's) is known as an incurable syndrome where abnormal levels of naturally occurring proteins’ (amyloid and tau) deposits clump together to form plaque, which builds up around brain cells and disrupts cell function. As brain cells get severely damaged from deposits, there is a decrease in neurotransmitters in sending signals between brain cells, generating symptoms.
However, this is just an assumption.
So far, even the NHS said that the exact cause of Dementia is unknown, and how “researchers don't yet fully understand how Amyloid and Tau are involved in the loss of brain cells, which is an area of active research”. Therefore, the medication for Dementia has always been focused on removing Amyloid, and unsurprisingly, it was insignificant because it has never eliminated the main, exact, but unknown causes.
However, from now on, whenever patients ask what induced Dementia, doctors no longer have to start their sentence with the word, “probably”.
In November 2020, Korea Institute of Science and Technology team (KIST) proved for the first time in the world that among reactive Stellate cells, severely reactive Stellate cells induce the death and Dementia of nerve cells. Stellate cells are star-shaped non-nervous cells, which account for the largest number in the brain, and maintain brain constancy. When brain diseases (including Dementia) occur, the number and size of Stellate cells increase and their functions alter, and we call these specific Stellate cells, "Reactive Stellate Cells." The research team also confirmed that mild reactive Stellate cells recover naturally, whilst severe reactive Stellate cells kill nerve cells and let Dementia progress beyond recovery.
Furthermore, Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO-B) protein, which was activated when Stellate cells decompose toxic substances, and hydrogen peroxide produced in excess during the process of turning into highly reactive Stallete cells, have been shown to kill nerve cells by inducing Encephalitis, nitric oxide stress, and Tau disease.
As mentioned previously, until now, the development of Dementia treatments has been based on the hypothesis that Beta-amyloid, an Amyloid toxic substance, is the cause of Dementia. The hypothesis failed to explain the continuation of severe Dementia even after the removal of Beta-amyloid with antibody treatments and the inability to detect Dementia even if the Beta-amyloid increases. For the first time, the study showed that more reactive Stellate cells than Beta-amyloid are a key factor in inducing Dementia, revealing what previous hypotheses about Dementia patients have failed to explain.
I hope it will be of any help to patients who are suffering from Dementia as all the conditions under which Dementia treatments can be successfully converted have been met. The researchers confirmed that the progress of Dementia can be suppressed only by reducing hydrogen peroxide, which targets reactive Stellate cells. The KIST plans to establish and carry out a new diagnosis and treatment strategy for Dementia targeting MAO-B or hydrogen peroxide.
Dementia is no longer the pain that people have to suffer for the rest of their lives; it is now a syndrome that anyone can overcome anytime.
Images :
(1) inflammation of the brain, caused by infection or an allergic reaction.
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