Dentistry Study Links Immune Response for Common Mouth Bacteria to Alzheimers

A new one-year study by NYU College of Dentistry researchers led by Angela R. Kamer, an assistant professor of periodontology and implant dentistry, has established a link between the body’s immune response to a common mouth bacteria and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).   
    Kamer recently presented her findings in Chicago at the Alzheimer’s Association Inter¬na¬tional Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease 2008. Kamer’s study examined 18 patients with probable AD and a control group of 16 who did not have the disease.
    “Twice as many subjects with probable AD tested positive for antibodies in their plasma against a type of bacteria that is commonly found in the mouth, particularly if patients have periodontal infection,” says Kamer. “This pilot study supports a growing body of evidence that associates notable immune changes with a means of predicting and classifying Alzheimer’s disease.”
    The pre-symptomatic early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is an essential step in developing strategies to prevent it. Effective early detection approaches will require low cost non-invasive tools to afford large-scale population testing and screening for treatment candidates. As many treatments entail medical risks, accurate detection is vital. Together with other AD immune markers, the antibodies to these periodontal bacteria could serve to better understand the causes and mechanisms of AD.
    “Dr. Kamer’s work points to several candidate biological blood markers for AD,” says Mony de Leon, professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Brain Health at the NYU School of Medicine.  “Her work has led to a panel of plasma markers that accurately discriminate patient and controls.”
    Kamer and de Leon plan future studies with additional testing involving a larger group of subjects to corroborate this pilot study’s findings. Kamer’s study collaborators include the College of Dentistry’s Ronald G Craig, R.G. Norman, Ananda P. Dasanayake, Robert J. Boylan, and Andrea Nehorayoff. Collabor¬ators from the NYU School of Medicine include Lidia Glodzik-Sobanska  and Miroslaw Brys. The NYU work is funded by the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Aging.