Alzheimer’s disease is one of the biggest emerging public health problems in the world. Although the last four decades have yielded important insights into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, its cause is still unclear, and if it is not discovered the world will face an unprecedented healthcare problem by the middle of this century. In recent years, evidence of the microbial origin of various chronic inflammatory disorders – including several neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric and other systemic disorders – has been steadily growing. Accumulating new and historic observations are providing evidence of an association between Alzheimer’s disease and certain infectious agents, and may offer new opportunities for ground-breaking healthcare solutions. This handbook assembles and connects findings with regard to the infectious origin of Alzheimer’s disease, and the data presented in its chapters deserves the attention of the neuroscience community, physicians and the health departments of governments worldwide by virtue of its amount and quality. This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding the topic of infection and Alzheimer’s disease, which could pinpoint the cause of this disease. Influential diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies may also emerge from this crucial research area.

With the recent discovery that amyloid beta protein, the cause of plaques in Alzheimer's disease, is an antimicrobial peptide produced in response to infection, many researchers are focusing on the role infection plays in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Brain studies have also identified a number of different viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa in the postmortem brain specimens of Alzheimer's patients. Infection (particularly chronic, latent and persistent infections) causes an immune response that leads to inflammation and brain cell degeneration, which are characteristic features of Alzheimer's disease. Sources of infection in Alzheimer's disease vary from childhood infections to gut microbes that find their way into the brain as a result of aging, leaky gut syndrome, and increased permeability of the blood brain barrier. Studies and ongoing clinical trials show that treatment of viral and bacterial infections, as well as restoring a healthy balance to the gut microbiome, can reduce disease risk and improve symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease. This book serves as an introduction to the human microbiome and the role that infection plays in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Despite being confined to the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiome has a wide impact on human physiology, supplementing its host’s biochemistry in a complex symbiotic relationship. Research in the field has evolved rapidly in the last decade, and we are now developing a better understanding of how our gut microbiome can influence our immune systems, metabolism, neurological signaling, and perhaps most unexpectedly, our brains; a phenomenon described as the gut-brain-axis. This book, ‘Handbook of Microbiome and Gut-Brain-Axis in Alzheimer’s Disease’, sets out to explore the complex role of the microbiome with regard to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The microbiome is a critical and often overlooked aspect of immunity, which in turn plays a role in cognition. The book presents current research into the gut microbiota and its far-reaching impacts on cognitive function and neurodegeneration. Interventions, including probiotic supplementation, fecal transfer, and supplementation with microbial metabolites, are discussed, as is the use of certain probiotics to study the effects of the gut microbiota on behavior and cognitive function, and as potential therapeutics for AD. Other topics covered include the influence of the gut and oral microbiota on immune inflammatory signals: cytokines, neuroendocrine hormones, bacterial components, neuroactive molecules, and microbial metabolites. The book is divided into four sections, each covering a research area pertinent to the gut-brain-axis and its relationship with cognitive function and AD. It will be of interest to all those whose work includes the study and understanding of these complex, multi-variable biological mechanisms, particularly in the context of cognitive function and AD. The cover shows a color edited MRI image of a sagittal section of a neurological control brain of Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti.

The guide tells you how to: Understand how AD changes a person Learn how to cope with these changes Help family and friends understand AD Plan for the future Make your home safe for the person with AD Manage everyday activities like eating, bathing, dressing, and grooming Take care of yourself Get help with caregiving Find out about helpful resources, such as websites, support groups, government agencies, and adult day care programs Choose a full-time care facility for the person with AD if needed Learn about common behavior and medical problems of people with AD and some medicines that may help Cope with late-stage AD

In this second edition Dr. Newport, a neonatal practitioner, continues the story of Steve's progress and provides the most recent research on such topics as possible causes of Alzheimer's due to the herpes simplex virus and nitrosamine substances and how infection, inflammation and genetic makeup may affect an individual's response to fatty acid therapy.

It is almost 120 years since Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was first reported, and the concept of managing some of the modifiable risk factors associated with the disease has been present from the outset. Intervening to manage risk factors as a way of tackling AD is not new, but optimizing brain health as a way of minimizing risk and maximizing the potential benefits of revolutionary new treatments for AD is becoming increasingly important. This book, the Handbook of Intervention and Alzheimer’s Disease, presents 47 papers exploring factors which may either inspire or inform future treatment and clinical trials. While novel interventions such as anti-amyloid immunotherapy present great opportunities, they may also increase the risk of brain bleeds and edema, which in turn may lead to adverse clinical outcomes. Such adverse outcomes are demonstrably more likely to occur in persons with poor brain health, so improved management of the risk factors which make up the AD preventome will also minimize the risks associated with such novel therapies. The papers in this volume can therefore be thought of as offering insight into those factors that can optimize brain health or providing key insights into interventions which may achieve such outcomes. Together with its companion volume on prevention, the book provides a comprehensive overview of strategies for tackling Alzheimer’s disease, and will be of interest to all those working in the field. Cover illustration: Improved hypoperfusion (resolving blue colors) on ASL MRI Z-score maps superimposed on structural MRI scans at baseline and one year in a PET amyloid-positive research participant with cognitive complaints undergoing one year of multi-domain personalized brain health interventions (vascular disease management, dietary optimization, sustained physical activity etc.). Permission to use this figure was granted both by the study P.I. Dr. David Merrill, MD, PhD, of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute and the research participant.

A definitive and compelling book on one of today's most prevalent illnesses. In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s, and more than half a million died because of the disease and its devastating complications. 16 million caregivers are responsible for paying as much as half of the $226 billion annual costs of their care. As more people live beyond their seventies and eighties, the number of patients will rise to an estimated 13.8 million by 2050. Part case studies, part meditation on the past, present and future of the disease, The Problem of Alzheimer's traces Alzheimer’s from its beginnings to its recognition as a crisis. While it is an unambiguous account of decades of missed opportunities and our health care systems’ failures to take action, it tells the story of the biomedical breakthroughs that may allow Alzheimer’s to finally be prevented and treated by medicine and also presents an argument for how we can live with dementia: the ways patients can reclaim their autonomy and redefine their sense of self, how families can support their loved ones, and the innovative reforms we can make as a society that would give caregivers and patients better quality of life. Rich in science, history, and characters, The Problem of Alzheimer's takes us inside laboratories, patients' homes, caregivers’ support groups, progressive care communities, and Jason Karlawish's own practice at the Penn Memory Center.