ALZHEIMER’S
Dementia may be linked to the liver
PET scans of the brain can help to diagnose Alzheimer’s. But the underlying cause could be a problem with the liver. | Photo: Matt York / Keystone
“It’s well-known that an impairment to liver function has an impact on the brain and our cognitive abilities”, says Katarzyna Pierzchala, a neurophysicist at EPFL. But the underlying cause of this is not yet properly understood.
Pierzchala’s team has been examining the brains of rats with chronic liver disease to see if they reveal early signs of dementia. Their analyses of the rats’ central nervous system showed accumulations of amyloid beta proteins and tau proteins in the nerve cells. These are characteristic of early Alzheimer’s disease. They also identified biomarkers for dementia in the blood of the rats.
These findings suggest that liver dysfunction can also contribute to the onset or progression of dementia in humans. The liver breaks down toxic substances and could potentially play a role in clearing amyloid beta proteins. “If we began taking liver health into consideration in people with dementia, this could change the way we approach neurodegenerative diseases”, says Pierzchala.
