Herpes Virus May Hold Key to Understanding Alzheimer's Disease, New Research Suggests

By Office of the President | Nov 28, 2023

Alzheimer’s disease, affecting over six million Americans and lacking a cure, is the focus of a new study by Downstate’s Department of Dermatology, exploring the link between Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and Alzheimer’s.

Published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (October 2023), the study, led by Marc Cohen, M.D., analyzed 21 population-based studies from 1997 to 2021. It found a significant correlation: HSV-1 infection may significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, particularly for those with the APOE4 allele, a genetic variant linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk. The research suggests that HSV-1 infections, known to lie dormant in the nervous system and cause brain damage, might be dangerous in areas susceptible to Alzheimer’s.

Despite these findings, the clinical application remains uncertain. HSV-1 antivirals show promise for Alzheimer’s prevention, but they are not yet standard treatment, and many mild HSV-1 infections remain untreated. The study’s authors, including Dr. Cohen, Evan Austin, M.D., Ph.D., Stefan Bradu, M.D., Ph.D., FAAD, and Jared Jagdeo, M.D., M.S., advocate for more research, including clinical trials, to better understand this link, highlighting the critical role dermatologists could play in Alzheimer’s prevention, given their experience with HSV-1.

Read a copy of the abstract here.

Tags: Alzheimers