Relatie
tussen hoog cholesterol en de ziekte van Alzheimer.*
Een Amerikaanse studie lijkt meer bewijs te leveren voor een duidelijke relatie tussen hoge cholesterolwaarden en de ziekte van Alzheimer.
Ongeveer gelijktijdig is ook een Nederlands-Duits onderzoek gedaan door mw.drs. Paula J. Jansen van de universiteit van Maastricht met als korte samenvatting:
De
oorzaak van de meest voorkomende vorm van dementie, de ziekte van Alzheimer
(AD), is nog altijd onbekend. Verstoringen van de cholesterolhuishouding
in de hersenen kunnen leiden tot ernstige neurologische aandoeningen.
Cholesterol lijkt ook een belangrijke rol te spelen in AD.
Dit onderzoek, uitgevoerd aan de Universiteit Maastricht en op de Universiteit
van Bonn, laat zien dat zowel de cholesterolhuishouding in de hersenen als de
leer- en geheugenfuncties beïnvloed kunnen worden door het aantal
cholesteroltranporters te vermeerderen of te verminderen, en door bepaalde
stoffen toe te voegen aan het dieet. Het biedt nieuwe aanknopingspunten voor
onderzoek naar de oorzaak en behandeling van AD.
Link
Between High Cholesterol And Alzheimer's Discovered By MUSC Researchers
A
team of scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has found
evidence that further links high cholesterol levels to Alzheimer's disease. The
research, led by MUSC neuroscientist, Narayan R. Bhat, Ph.D., further supports
similar previous research as well as high cholesterol's role in inflammation
which may trigger the disease. The findings were recently presented at the
Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Atlanta.
Bhat and his team of MUSC Neuroscientists tested their hypothesis that high
cholesterol, resulting from either diet or genetic disposition, would intensify
the brain's inflammatory response and spur amyloid generation that would, in
turn, lead to the neurodegeneration and dementia characteristic of Alzheimer's
disease.
A preliminary study of mice that were fed a high cholesterol, high fat diet for
two months, and then tested on a memory task, showed a loss of working memory in
association with a significant neuroinflammatory response. Parallel studies of
mice with existing elevated cholesterol levels revealed similar signs of memory
loss and neuroinflammatory responses regardless of the type of diet they were on.
These findings provide experimental evidence for the current idea that high
cholesterol levels in the body resulting from dietary and/or genetic factors may
contribute to the onset of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.
These findings could potentially pave the way for low-fat diets or, potentially,
diets high in polyunsaturated fats as a preventive measure against the risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease. In addition, an observed connection between
diet-induced neuroinflammatory changes and memory deficit emphasizes the
potential therapeutic usefulness of anti-inflammatory treatments against
Alzheimer's-like dementia.
It is likely that high cholesterol levels may result in an inflammatory cascade
as has been observed in cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis. Potentially,
systemic inflammation may also adversely affect tiny blood vessels in the brain,
making them less effective at filtering out harmful compounds. The gathering of
immune cells at site of inflammation in the brain could then initiate a cascade
of events leading to the build-up of amyloid in the brain and synaptic/cognitive
dysfunction.
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About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the
oldest medical school in the south. MUSC continues the tradition of excellence
in education, research, and patient care. MUSC is home to over 3,000 students
and residents, as well as nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty
members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the University and
its affiliates have collective budgets in excess of $1.3 billion per year. MUSC
operates a 600 bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized
Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. (Nov.
2006)