Monday, December 8, 2008

Cold Sore Virus May Be Alzheimer's Smoking Gun

Posted by kdawson on Sunday December 07, @04:59PM

from the you-must-remember-this dept.
MedicineBiotechScience
Science Daily is reporting that the virus behind cold sores has been found to be a major cause of the insoluble protein plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers. Researchers believe the herpes simplex virus is a significant factor in developing the debilitating disease and could be treated by antiviral agents such as acyclovir, which is already used to treat cold sores and other diseases caused by the herpes virus. Another future possibility is vaccination against the virus to prevent the development of Alzheimer's in the first place. The research was just published in the Journal of Pathology (abstract)

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