New Research: Radiation May Trigger Alzheimer's Disease

Exposure to high levels of radiation can trigger a chain reaction in the brain that triggers toxic protein tangles that lead to Alzheimer's disease, a new study has shown.

Scientists from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in the US have determined that exposure to ionizing radiation can trigger a chain reaction at the cellular level in the brain, triggering toxic protein tangles, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers analyzed more than 100 scientific studies covering human health data, laboratory animals and molecular models.

In a meta-analysis covering 18 studies examining workers in high cumulative exposure areas such as nuclear power plants and uranium processing facilities, it was found that every 100 millisievert increase in radiation entering the body increased the risk of dementia by 11 percent. Similarly, brain tissue damage was accelerated in Alzheimer's model mice and monkeys exposed to radiation.

'DNA DAMAGE CAUSES PROTEIN TANGLES'

In the investigations, the damage mechanism of radiation in the brain was mapped. It was determined that the damage caused by ionizing radiation to cell DNA activates the immune cells of the brain and causes the secretion of a special protein called 'eCIRP'.

It was determined that this released protein disrupted the chemical structure of tau proteins that support the cytoskeleton in the healthy brain and initiated the transformation process into toxic tau tangles that lead to the death of neurons. Researchers noted that the 'eCIRP' protein also causes chronic inflammation in the brain, damages mitochondria, the power plants of cells, and suppresses the production of new neurons.