Evidence is mounting that excessive drinking is a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease and can accelerate its progression.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and Alzheimer’s disease have been found to show similar gene expression changes that affect brain inflammation and cell function. The researchers pointed out that this suggests that the molecular pathway between the two diseases may be shared.
According to Scitech Daily, a science media outlet, the Scripps Research Institute in the U.S. used single-cell transcriptomics to find that Alzheimer’s disease and AUD show similar gene expression patterns and that alcohol use can worsen the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common disease that causes dementia, and 60-70% of all dementia cases are believed to be caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), the number of Alzheimer’s disease patients worldwide is estimated to increase from 55 million in 2023 to 152 million in 2050. The main risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are aging and genetic factors, but several studies have shown that lifestyle, including alcohol use, can also be a factor that can influence the onset and progression of the disease. According to research, sleep disorders and nighttime light pollution are related to Alzheimer’s disease.
“We discovered several cell type-specific genes and pathways that are dysregulated in both Alzheimer’s disease and alcohol. “This supports the hypothesis that alcohol use disorders can accelerate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” explained Pietro Paolo Sanna, PhD, professor of immunology and microbiology at The Scripps Research Institute.
The study is said to be the first to use single-cell transcriptomics to compare changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and AUD in diverse populations of human brain cells.
To investigate cell-specific gene expression changes in Alzheimer’s disease, researchers used ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing data from hundreds of thousands of individual brain cells from 75 early-, middle-, and late-stage Alzheimer’s disease patients and 10 non-Alzheimer’s disease patients. was analyzed. They then compared the Alzheimer’s disease gene expression data with existing RNA sequencing data from AUD patients.
As a result of the analysis, both AUD and Alzheimer’s disease showed similar gene expression changes, including upregulation of inflammatory genes and pathways, disruption of cell signaling and cell death-related pathways, and changes in vascular cells.
“This study is a differential analysis of two diseases that cause cognitive decline,” said Dr. Arpita Joshi, a researcher in Dr. Sanna’s lab. “This study improves our understanding of the three clinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease. “We emphasize that alcohol use disorder should be considered a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.
Researchers advised avoiding excessive drinking for healthy aging.
The research results were published in the neuroscience journal eNeuro.
참고자료:Transcriptional Patterns in Stages of Alzheimer‘s Disease Are Cell-Type–Specific and Partially Converge with the Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder in Humans.
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Park Hae-sik, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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The article discusses the growing evidence linking excessive alcohol consumption to the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Research from the Scripps Research Institute highlights that both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and Alzheimer’s disease exhibit similar gene expression changes, particularly affecting brain inflammation and cell function. These findings suggest a shared molecular pathway between the two conditions.
The study, which utilized single-cell transcriptomics, found comparable gene expression patterns in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and those with AUD. Key similarities included the upregulation of inflammatory genes, disruptions in cell signaling, and pathways associated with cell death. The researchers emphasized that alcohol use disorder should be recognized as a potential risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
As Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause of dementia, with an estimated increase in global cases from 55 million in 2023 to 152 million by 2050, understanding lifestyle factors like alcohol consumption is critical. Researchers recommend avoiding excessive drinking to support healthy aging.
The results of this study were published in the neuroscience journal eNeuro, contributing to a better understanding of the relationship between alcohol use and cognitive decline.