A study by the University of Bonn, Germany, has claimed that certain infectious diseases may exacerbate nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The research, published in the journal 'Nature Communications, is based on laboratory experiments. showed that certain infectious molecules facilitate the intracellular diffusion of protein aggregates, which are a hallmark of brain diseases.
The team of researchers found that irregular chain protein aggregates occur in the so-called prion disease. They can move from one cell to another, where they transfer their abnormal shape to proteins of the same type. As a result, the disease spreads throughout the brain.
A similar phenomenon occurs in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, which according to the researchers also exhibit a combination of irregular chain proteins. A prion is a type of protein that causes a normal protein chain to be converted into an abnormal protein chain in the brain. This neurological disease is found in both humans and animals.
