New evidence suggests link between stress levels and Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have identified fresh evidence of a link between the brain's stress response and a protein related to Alzheimer's disease.

The University of Florida study, conducted on a mouse model and in human cells, found that a certain stress-management hormone called CRF boosts the production of amyloid beta protein fragments when released by the brain.

As amyloid beta collects in the brain, it initiates a complex degenerative cascade that leads to Alzheimer's disease.

Mouse models that were exposed to acute stress were found to have more of the Alzheimer's-related protein in their brains than those in a control group, with a similar effect noticed when testing human neurons.

Dr Todd Golde, a professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine's department of neuroscience, said the research "adds detailed insight into the stress mechanisms that might promote at least one of the Alzheimer's pathologies".

Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, affecting almost 500,000 people in the UK.