A viral infection can cause dementia – 2024-04-07 23:55:37

A study led by the University of Helsinki found that a viral infection can trigger a degenerative brain disease if a person has a gene that predisposes to the disease. INKA SOVERI

If a person has a genetic form predisposing to degenerative brain disease, a viral infection can trigger the disease or worsen the symptoms.

The matter is clear from a study led by the University of Helsinki, the results of which have been published in the scientific journal Nature.

According to the results of the study, a gene mutation common in the Nordic countries makes it difficult for the body to detect viral infections and to trigger an immune response. The genetic modification affects the detection of viral infections through the mitochondria of tissues.

– In the brain disease we are investigating, a viral infection can lead to a significantly earlier onset of the disease and change the quality of the symptoms. The underlying mechanism is related to the insufficient function of mitochondria in viral defense, academy professor, who led the research Anu Suomalainen-Wartiovaara says in the announcement.

Brain and liver disease

Genetic modification dates back to the Viking Age, and is common especially in Finland and Norway.

In these countries, every hundredth person carries the gene mutation in question. If the gene change is inherited from both parents, it leads to MIRAS disease.

There is an extraordinary amount of variability in the onset of MIRAS disease: it can occur from adolescence to early adulthood or even into middle age. The disease picture also varies a lot, from severe epilepsy to movement disorders or Parkinson’s disease.

The results show that external factors, i.e. a viral infection for example, can have an effect on when and with what symptoms the disease starts. The research results suggest that the combined effect of the viral infection and the slowness of the immune defense causes a severe form of MIRAS, i.e. an epileptic brain and liver disease that appears in adolescence.