Alzheimer’s disease can start anywhere in the body before traveling to the brain, alarming new research has found.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada found the toxic proteins that lead to the neurodegenerative illness can develop in the liver or even kidneys before invading grey matter.
The discovery could lead to drugs that target dementia in organs that are much easier to treat – years before the onset of symptoms.
Lead author, psychiatrist Professor Weihong Song, said: ‘Alzheimer’s disease is clearly a disease of the brain. But we need to pay attention to the whole body to understand where it comes from – and how to stop it.’