If you ever felt cold pain, the viral infection that caused it can be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The ever-growing evidence suggests that herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), a common virus that often leads to herpes, is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Several studies have found a correlation between HSV-1 infection and TAU proteins, playing a major role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. After catching this virus infection, find out what happens in your aging brain and what scientists are saying about the potential treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease: Growth problems
Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia associated with severe memory loss and other cognitive impairments, will become even more common in the coming decades. In the US alone, the number of people suffering from this condition is expected to almost double by 2050, jumping from 7 million to 13 million.
Given the urgent expansion of the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, scientists have decided to better understand the emergence and evolution of the disease.
Scientists have closely followed the effects of the herpes virus for answers. The most common variations of herpes virus are HSV-1 (causing oral herpes) and HSV-2 (causing genital herpes, which is usually transmitted via sexual contact). Most people sign up for HSV-1 at some point in their lives – data HSV-1 has shown to affect 57-80% of US adults and is usually harmless, but infection remains in the body for life and can sometimes resurface.
The persistent presence of HSV-1 in the body may be a major factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. January 2025 study Published in the journal Cell Report It appears that they have confirmed this idea by finding proteins associated with HSV-1 in Alzheimer’s brain samples. Researchers determined that viral proteins increase as the disease worsens.
read more: Ancient herpes virus may have spread through kissing
Link between Tau and HSV-1
The researchers in this study also revealed an interesting relationship between HSV-1 infection and tau protein.
Tau protein is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but is not destructive from the start. They help stabilize the integral portion of neurons called axons. But they can take Highly phosphorylatedthe number of phosphates increases dramatically. This strips the original, beneficial protein and aggregates it into neurofibrillar tangles (NFTs), which contribute to neurodegeneration seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
According to researchers in the 2025 study, HSV-1 infection can regulate levels of tau protein in the brain and regulate its function. They say that the brain’s immune response promotes modified tau proteins that reduce the amount of neuronal death after infection. This shows that tau first protects the brain from infection. However, this process induces long-term brain degradation due to increased aggregation of tau in the end.
This study states that repeated reactivation of HSV-1 leads to chronic tau hyperphosphorylation, leading to tau toxicity and thus neurodegeneration.
Turn tau into treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers believe this link between HSV-1 and TAU may actually stimulate new treatment methods Alzheimer’s disease. They continue to find a way to replicate the protective power of tau phosphorylation without causing aggregation that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
The role of viral infection in Alzheimer’s disease is not yet fully understood. One factor that requires further research is how the virus affects another perpetrator of Alzheimer’s disease, and the accumulation of amyloid beta proteins (the tissues that make up the outer layer of the brain) that form plaques in the gray matter.
Scientists are turning their eyes virus Other than HSV-1, there are water cell-zoster viruses (causing chicken po and shingles). Some studies suggest that the virus may cause a risk of dementia, while others suggest that Shingles vaccination It may reduce your risk of dementia.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but scientists are focusing on finding an improved treatment for the disease. The most important answer may still be HSV-1 infection and other viruses, which are inevitable aspects of many people’s lives.
This article does not provide medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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Jack Knudson is Discover’s assistant editor with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before taking part in the discovery in 2023, he studied journalism at Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communications and previously interned in Recycle Today’s Magazine.
