While the mantra that ‘correlation does not equal causation’ remains quite true in medicine, we mustn’t forget that correlation does suggest connection, and connection sometimes turns out to be causation. For decades, researchers have found epidemiologic studies connecting viral illnesses and degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s. Many theories and many unsuccessful therapies have made their way through the news headlines without leaving much lasting impact on the future of those suffering with these diseases now. A group of researchers believe they have uncovered an important mechanism explaining how the damage occurs through the action of our immune system rather than the virus itself.
As America ages, we are seeing more and more patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinsons, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, and more. While some like multiple sclerosis are clearly related to autoimmune processes, others still don’t have a clear explanation. The increase in contemporary toxic exposures likely plays a role but does not seem to explain everything. The worsening overall metabolic health of society affecting diabetes and cholesterol plays a role but again is not the only explanation. Inflammation clearly contributes if not drives many of these diseases which then leads us back to the immune system. The immune system has been suspected to be a key player for years not only in the clearly autoimmune diseases, but in other conditions as well. Identifying the exact mechanism has been challenging.
The group from McMaster university knew that a wide variety of viral infections were related to these neurologic conditions. They suspected that it was not the specific viruses which caused the damage but something in the immune system. They looked at immune T cells targeting Zika virus, a known neurotropic virus, and monitored for any abnormal immune response that could account for nerve cell damage. Along with the T cells killing Zika, they also found a population of T cells that were killing other cells not infected with Zika. These NKG2D+CD8+ cells appeared to be reacting to high amounts of cytokines released by the infection response. These cells overreacted to the infection and started killing the innocent cells as well as the Zika infected cells.
The researchers hope to continue their work on these virus-related neurodegenerative disorders. Finding ways to turn off these cells or dampen their responses could lead to long term prevention of the onset or worsening of these devastating illnesses.
In the meantime, functional medicine works from several angles to limit the impact of such immune processes in our patients. Knowing that inflammation exacerbated by these immune messengers known as cytokines clearly play a role in such diseases, we work to lower these cytokine levels in any way we can. Starting with the basics of lifestyle, we urge patients to adopt a low-inflammatory nutrition plan which calms our immune system rather than adding fuel to the fire as does the Standard American Diet. We encourage physical activity in the right doses which builds our bodies’ ability to handle various stressors rather than succumbing to the stress effects. We support a patient’s immune systems with these basic lifestyle changes along with other herbals and supplements so that infections are cleared quickly and efficiently instead of allowing chronic inflammation to smolder. We educate concerning the toxic exposures of everyday life, how to avoid them and how to mitigate effects when exposures inevitably occur. All in all, we guide our patients towards healthier, more abundant lives so they can live long and productive lives without such neurologic diseases stealing years or joy from them.
Original Article:
Elizabeth Balint, Emily Feng, Elizabeth C. Giles, Tyrah M. Ritchie, Alexander S. Qian, Fatemeh Vahedi, Amelia Montemarano, Ana L. Portillo, Jonathan K. Monteiro, Bernardo L. Trigatti, Ali A. Ashkar. Bystander activated CD8+ T cells mediate neuropathology during viral infection via antigen-independent cytotoxicity. Nature Communications, 2024; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44667-0
Thanks to Science Daily:
McMaster University. “Immune response, not acute viral infections, responsible for neurological damage, study finds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240205165926.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
