Experts insist we are at a tipping point in scientific research relating to herpesviruses impact on dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Last month a new study from a team in Australia indicated that vaccination against Varicella Zoster (VZV) with the Shingles vaccine was found to be preventative against dementia. Read this study to learn more. The ground-breaking study speaks to the need for more research in this area also noting the substantial evidence that Herpes Simplex Virus also leads to dementia. An excerpt from the study findings is below.
The theory that herpes simplex leads to Alzheimer’s and other related dementias is not new – and once considered a fringe theory, is rapidly gaining consensus among experts.
On a financial reporting call on July 31, 2024, GSK Chief Scientific Officer responded to the study indicating there is similar evidence indicating HSV leads to dementia. An excerpt from the meeting transcript is below.
The science is better known, although not by any means comprehensive, for HSV underlying reactivation and therefore inflammation that occurs as a result of that, leading to dementia. – GSK Chief Scientific Officer Tony Wood
GSK July 31, 2024 Financial Earnings Report
Simon Baker (Redburn Atlantic): Thank you very much – I will limit myself to one question. This is on Arexvy and it is a question for Tony. In terms of the potential mechanism for lower incidence of dementia, I wondered what thoughts you have had on that. There has been some suggestion that it is an indirect effect caused by the vaccine suppressing reactivation of HSV-1 virus. Any thoughts you have on why we are seeing this effect would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Tony Wood Chief Scientific Officer at GSK: Simon, I presume you meant Shingrix in that, rather than Arexvy – that is another story. It is fair to say that there is very little known here, mechanistically, and we are investing in further retrospective studies and mechanistic ones. Let me try to do this quickly. There is some potential that the mechanism may be vascular in nature. It may even be due to, as you say, underlying – let’s call it subclinical reactivation. The science is better known, although not by any means comprehensive, for HSV underlying reactivation and therefore inflammation that occurs as a result of that, leading to dementia. One can imagine a similar story in the context of shingles or one could even imagine the constant reactivation impacts microglial function. There is a range – and I haven’t been comprehensive in my answer, to avoid spending too much time on it. It is fair to say that there is a range of different mechanisms. If you want a comprehensive summary, the Australian paper detailing the epidemiological retrospective outcomes has a really nice summary in its concluding paragraph.
NEW STUDY FINDINGS: Herpes zoster vaccination and new diagnoses of dementia: A quasi-randomized study in Australia
We believe that our findings call for investments into further research in this area. Ideally, a clinical trial would be conducted to investigate the effect of HZ vaccination on the dementia disease process. However, we also believe that funding research into the mechanisms through which HZ vaccination could affect dementia is an important investment. Several potential mechanisms for this connection have already been recognized. For example, reactivations of the varicella zoster virus have been linked to long-lasting cognitive impairment through vasculopathy (60, 61), amyloid deposition and aggregation of tau proteins (62), neuroinflammation (63–66), as well as cerebrovascular disease resembling that seen in Alzheimer’s disease, including small to large vessel disease, ischemia, infarction, and hemorrhage (67, 68, 63–66). Additionally, there is a substantial body of evidence suggesting that the herpes simplex virus may contribute to the development of dementia (3, 4), along with suggestive evidence that reactivations of the varicella zoster virus may lead to reactivations of the herpes simplex virus in the brain (69). Lastly, it is conceivable that HZ vaccination affects the dementia disease process through a pathogen-independent immunomodulatory pathway, a hypothesis that has been elaborated recently elsewhere (70).
Pomirchy M, Bommer C, Pradella F, Michalik F, Peters R, Geldsetzer P. Herpes zoster vaccination and new diagnoses of dementia: A quasi-randomized study in Australia. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Jun 28:2024.06.27.24309563. doi: 10.1101/2024.06.27.24309563. PMID: 38978672; PMCID: PMC11230318.
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