Vitamin B1 deficiency a key factor in the development of alcohol-related dementia
Hypothesis describes the role of iron deposits in the brain as the cause
of dementia in alcoholics

Date:
September 9, 2020
Source:
Medical University of Vienna
Summary:
A research group has now developed a hypothesis whereby iron
deposits in the brain -- resulting from alcohol-induced vitamin B1
deficiency -- can be regarded as key factors in cognitive decline.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A common consequence of chronically high alcohol consumption is a
decline in cognitive function, which can even progress to full-blown
dementia. However, we do not yet fully understand how alcohol damages the brain. A research group led by Stephan Listabarth from MedUni Vienna's Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Social Psychiatry,
has now developed a hypothesis whereby iron deposits in the brain --
resulting from alcohol-induced vitamin B1 deficiency -- can be regarded
as key factors in cognitive decline. The work has now been published in
the leading journal Alzheimer's and Dementia.


==========================================================================
In Austria, around 5% of the population are alcohol dependent from
the age of 15 onwards. This means that approximately 365,000 people
are affected by the dangerous health consequences associated with high
alcohol consumption. One of these consequences is a decline in cognitive function, especially memory and abstraction. This is then referred to
as alcohol-related dementia. However, we do not yet fully understand
the exact pathomechanism, that is to say the way in which the brain is
damaged by alcohol.

Researchers Stephan Listabarth, Daniel Ko"nig and Benjamin Vyssoki from
the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Social
Psychiatry at MedUni Vienna and Simon Hametner from MedUni Vienna's
Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry,
have now advanced a plausible hypothesis to explain alcohol-induced
brain damage: the cognitive deterioration is caused by iron deposits in
the brain but the administration of vitamin B1 could protect the brain
from these deposits.

We know from various neurodegenerative diseases that iron deposits in
the brain are responsible for nerve tissue damage. These deposits can
also be detected in specific regions of the brain (including the basal
ganglia) in people who drink a lot of alcohol. The hypothesis advanced by
the study authors now also offers an explanation as to why iron deposits
are so prevalent in this patient group: high alcohol consumption results
in elevated iron levels in the blood and also to vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency, which, among other things, is important for maintaining the blood-brain barrier. If these two situations coincide, more iron will be deposited inside the brain, ultimately leading to oxidative tissue damage.

This newly described role of vitamin B1 in this process could
represent a huge step forward in our understanding of the development
of alcohol-related neurological damage and, in particular, could offer a
new point of attack for preventive and therapeutic approaches. It would
then be conceivable to give continuous vitamin B1 substitutionin future,
as a preventive measure.

The researchers believe it would also be useful to evaluate the use
of drugs to reduce iron levels (e.g. chelators), as is already done
in other neurodegenerative diseases. The authors of the current work
have already started planning a prospective clinical study to validate
the above-mentioned relationship between alcohol dependency, vitamin B1 deficiency and cerebral iron deposits and to provide a basis for further research in the field of alcohol-related dementia in the future.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Medical_University_of_Vienna. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Stephan Listabarth, Daniel Ko"nig, Benjamin Vyssoki, Simon
Hametner. Does
thiamine protect the brain from iron overload and
alcohol‐related dementia? Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2020;
DOI: 10.1002/alz.12146 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200909100248.htm

--- up 2 weeks, 2 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)