We Might Be Totally Wrong About Alzheimer’s

Scientists found that the prevailing hypothesis of how the Alzheimer’s disease starts might be wrong, and some viruses could be the culprit.

*the script credits for this episode on screen on incorrect. Correct credits are below.
Writer: Jessica McDonald
Script Editor: Christie Wilcox

Hosted by: Hank Green

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Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Lazarus G, Sam Lutfi, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz
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[Teth]

It's a shame that if you're diagnosed with some sort of incurable terminal illness that you aren't allowed to volunteer yourself to be experimented on... Living the last year of my life in agony wouldn't be so bad if it saved countless lives, and I'll have a shot in the dark at survival, what's to lose?

[Master_Therion]

Viruses might cause Alzheimer's? Interesting.
On a related note, my PC got a computer virus and now there's something wrong with its memory.

[SuperpopeGaming]

Scientists: "We think it may be caused by viruses!"
The Internet: "I'm gonna keep saying it's caused by Diet Coke."

[Fredjikrang]

There is also a very strong link between diabetes and alzheimer's. I read an article just this week that said that in a recent trial early stage alzheimer's patients that were treated with a diabetes medication showed no further degradation over the duration of the study, while a control group got significantly worse.

[MadeinHell]

I certainly hope this research gives us some solid results in the future. Alzheimer is very common in my family and I certainly hope it doesn't take me.

[GeoffreyFeldmanMA]

It should also be noted that not all cases of Dementia are Alzheimers. Those have other forms, in some cases are better understood than Alzheimers.

[jffrocks]

Months before my wife started showing signs of dementia/Alzheimer's, she suffered through a severe bout of shingles.  She recovered from that and then began her sad journey with Alzheimer's.  I have long suspected shingles was the trigger that started it.   She passed away 5 years later.

[megapedia]

SR Foxley - Thank so much for supporting all of the smart content shows on this platform!! Thank you!

[raggiechansu]

We’re deeper into research. Thant’s good. That’s important.

[MustangsTrainsMowers]

A woman in Europe who tested the brains of people who had died of Alzheimer’s found that about 1/3 of them had undiagnosed Lyme disease. Undiagnosed would be untreated Lyme.
I got my tick bite in the early 80’s as a teen. My diagnosis was in 2013 for Lyme. Treatments had to be delayed and then in March 2015 I developed Lyme demensia. I struggled to work delivering pizza, forgetting how to drive through town and forgetting street names. About 5 weeks of going through that hell and my family doing nothing to give me a hand in anything my Doctor had me take Purepaleo Protein and my mind came back. I started taking two pharmaceutical antibiotics within a week and by some miracle I had little herheimer responses. I was on them for 9 months then off everything for 4 months when the Lyme returned. I have been on and off antibiotics for 3 years and it’s effecting my memory if I don’t get enough sleep. Lyme disease puts a person through hell. It’s worse if their family isn’t there for them as that’s my experience.
I don’t like how in this video the end and beginning of sentences are compressed together. That’s too intense.

[HistoryNerd]

As my grandpa has it, hopefully, scientists can pin the cause down and fight. It's crippling and hopefully fewer suffer from having it or knowing someone who does in the future

[thor]

Dr's Chris Exley and Chris Shaw are the people you should be listening to in regards to Alzheimer’s

[makeupbyushna]

New research makes me hopeful. Thanks for keeping us informed scishow.

[benjayallday]

Big thanks to SR Foxly! Keeping the lights on at scishow for all who love to learn.

[updown]

This is huge!!
There really isn't a more devastating disease. I hope this launches a whole new way to treat it.

[pjangels]

A new study came out earlier this year linking gum disease to Alzheimer's too. It seems INFLAMMATION is the culprit in most diseases/conditions, but that's too practical for medical industry

[somecuriosities]

1. More of this thing please science/sci-show
2. Why is Sci show news not a channel in its own right?

Seriously - why not have one channel dedicated to science and tech news stories and another that discusses science topics and/or questions more generally?

[Rosalie_Jansen]

My father has Alzheimer's disease and although his disease has probably advanced too much to recover even if they did find some kind of cure quickly, I still wish to know all I can about it, just in case. (Also, the part about Alzheimer's possibly having some kind of genetic component is obviously of interest to me... :O)
Thanks for informing us Hank about this so soon after the release of the research, this might turn out to be a really big deal...!

[kjpmi]

I hope this isn't a dead end, I hope it leads to something. I'm terrified of Alzheimer's. After taking care of someone with it for 5 years now (we have to dress her and change her diaper and make her meals, she's lost the ability to do any of these things on her own in any consistent way) all I can say is that I would make the plans to end my own life before I get to the point where I can’t make that decision on my own. I want to die long before I lose my mind. Long before someone has to change my diaper and wipe my ass and remind me constantly that it's day time not night time or that I just ate 15 minutes ago or constantly remind me of who they are and where I am.

[christineagnew]

This is so so so important! Thank you for covering this angle! Greatly appreciated guys:)