Controversial Theory Suggests Alzheimer's Disease May Be Transmissible, Backed by Mouse Experiments

Is Alzheimer's Disease Transferable via Bone Marrow Transplantation? Findings from Mouse Study Suggest Possibility, but Human Risk Remains Uncertain

Traditional medical belief attributes Alzheimer's disease to brain protein accumulation rather than transmission between individuals. However, a contentious theory suggests that proteins linked to the disease could be passed between people through procedures like bone marrow and organ transplants, or even blood transfusions. Recent experiments in mice, where symptoms of Alzheimer's were observed post bone marrow transplants, provide support for this notion. Critics maintain that this evidence is not yet definitive.

The prevailing perspective identifies Alzheimer's as stemming from the accumulation of two proteins, beta-amyloid and tau. Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, recent advancements in medicine targeting amyloid clearance from the brain show promise, albeit with modest effects on memory decline. Certain genetic mutations predispose individuals to early-onset Alzheimer's, while for most cases, the disease is perceived as a seemingly random occurrence with limited preventive measures beyond maintaining overall brain health.

The notion of Alzheimer's contagion surfaced from studies on individuals treated with growth hormone injections sourced from deceased donors' brains between the 1950s and 1980s. Some samples of these treatments in the UK were investigated for misfolded amyloid, potentially implicated in amyloid accumulation triggering.