Dementia revisited "Total costs of care for people
with Dementia could top $1.1 trillion in 2050
(in the U.S. only, and in in 2018 dollars)"

---Alzheimer's Association


Dr. Alois Alzheimer declared in 1906 that 'plaques' and 'tangles' are the hallmarks that cause the disease bearing his name. Well into the second century since then, despite a continuos extensive and well-supported research of these elements, Dementia still can't be cured, prevented or, even slowed down.

By 2050 Dementia is expected to occur every 33 seconds in the U.S. alone (nearly double the rate of the presently diagnosed disease).


This inevitably prompts to question:

Should the Cause of Dementia be Devisited?


The following information appears to have significant implication to fight for conquering the dementia plague. I thought it will be of interest since it promises a breakthrough.

Ample supporting data already available, indirectly, from a good number of independent studies on the possible cause of dementia (see below). However, it’s incumbent on the research sphere to generate the required direct experimental data and to provide a direct study proof. Once accomplished, it bound to prompt a wide implementation of the simple procedure outlined below, and hence, it has a potential to prevent the onset of dementia altogether.

If you are in a position to influence the undertaking of such a research project, I urge you to take action and be part of the solution to render dementia history.

The following is to be noted:
Reduced blood flow in the brain is known to result in elevated brain temperature (see, for example, the pasted references below). Reduced blood flow is in all likelihood fairly common in the elderly, and often even in much younger adults. It would, therefore, cause an increase of the brain temperature and is liable to result in damage to brain-cells. This could be in particular true where the condition becomes chronic and lingers on silently for years without being directly detected; way before any symptoms of dementia manifest themselves.

It follows that a routine monitoring of blood-flow to the brain, similar to how blood-pressure is routinely tested, would allow a timely clinical/pharmacological intervention to take place and correct the condition. It's likely to alleviate the onset of dementia in all of its forms.

The process of monitoring brain-blood-flow can readily be accomplished nowadays. Although, being even less invasive, it's somewhat more cumbersome of that of blood-pressure measurement. However, ultimately it bound to be just as simple as, say, taking temperature with an electronic-thermometer (and not more costly at that).

Aristotle, allegedly, stated that: "the role of the blood in the brain is to COOL the brain". Ironically, he may have been right for a change. At least this time.


Joel Tepper
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
telejt[delete_me]@shaw.ca


========== REFERENCES ==========

CCSVI, Brain Cooling and Blood Flow
Posted on September 3, 2010 by uprightdoctor

"The upper cervical spine plays an important role in the venous drainage
system of the brain, brain blood flow and brain COOLING...
...decreased blood flow and DECREASED COOLING capacity of the brain."
(emph. added j.t.)

-------------------------------------------

Cerebral Cooling During Increased Cerebral Blood Flow in the Monkey
ArticleinProceedings of The Society for Experimental Biology and
Medicine 124(2):555-7 March 1967with1 Read
DOI: 10.3181/00379727-124-31788 Source: PubMed

Abstract
"...Intracerebral temperature gradients are basically dependent upon
the rate of REMOVAL of heat from the brain by the arterial blood."
(emph. added j.t.)

------------------------------------------

Comparison of brain temperature to core temperature
J Neurosci Nurs. 2004 Feb;36(1):23-31.

Abstract
"...acute neurological injury...
...All 15 studies found that brain temperature was HIGHER
than all measures of core temperature with mean differences of 0.39 to 2.5 degrees C reported."
(emph. added j.t.)

===========================

P.S.

The following references were, subsequently, brought to my attention:

"cerebral blood flow ... is useful in the early diagnosis of dementia."
By: Niwa F, et al.
Intern Med. 2016;55(24):3571-3578. Epub 2016 Dec 15

--------------------------------------
Also,

"... brain blood flow deficits are one of the earliest detectable symptoms of dementia."
By: Jean C.Cruz Hernandez et al.
published in Nature Neuroscience

--------------------------------------
Also,

"... Alzheimer's disease is associated with a 20-30% reduction in cerebral blood flow ..."
By: Bracko O, et al.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2019

--------------------------------------
Also,

"Cerebral blood flow (CBF) reductions in Alzheimer’s disease patients
and related mouse models have been recognized for decades ..."
By: Jean C. Cruz, et al.
Nature Neuroscience volume 22, pages: 413-420 (2019)

--------------------------------------
Also,

Late-Onset Dementia: Structural Brain Damage and Total CerebralBlood Flow
By: Aart Spilt MD, et al.
RadiologyVolume 236, Issue 3Sep 1 2005

"... blood flow in the brain was 742 milliliters per minute among the healthy, young adults ...
... among the dementia group was 443 milliliters per minute ...
... In patients with dementia, cerebral blood flow was 108 mL/min lower
than that in subjects of the same age with optimal cognitive function ..."

--------------------------------------
Also,

Are Major Dementias Triggered by Poor Blood Flow to the Brain?
By: Jack C de la Torre
J Alzheimers Dis. 2017 57 (2), 353-371
PMID: 28211814
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-161266

"There is growing evidence that chronic brain hypoperfusion
plays a central role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD)
LONG BEFORE dyscognitive symptoms or amyloid accumulation
in the brain appear ..."
(emph. added j.t.)