Prostate cancer linked to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are investigating why many men with prostate cancer develop Alzheimer's disease (AD), focusing on whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or an overactive immune response contributes to this risk. 

ADT reduces testosterone to treat prostate cancer, but testosterone also regulates amyloid metabolism, leading to amyloid plaque formation, a hallmark of AD.

Dr. Qin Wang and her team developed animal models to study this link. Surprisingly, they found no significant difference in amyloid plaque load after ADT treatment. However, they observed increased glial cell activity and inflammation in the brains of animals treated with ADT, suggesting that ADT might increase brain inflammation by making the blood-brain barrier more permeable, allowing harmful immune cells to enter.

To address this, the researchers used natalizumab, a drug for multiple sclerosis, which prevented immune cells from crossing the blood-brain barrier. This reduced inflammation and improved cognitive function in the animals. This finding suggests that the immune response, not just amyloid plaques, plays a key role in AD development in prostate cancer patients undergoing ADT.

Further clinical trials could explore natalizumab's potential in preventing AD in these patients.