Me/cfs and dementia

Hufsamor

Hufsamor

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Norway
A friend of mine has been housebound and almost bed bound from me/ cfs for many years.
He’s not yet 60 years old, but doctors now suspect dementia.
(It’s not me/ cfs brain fog, wife says he’s changed in ways that have nothing to do with me/cfs )

I’ve been thinking about this for years. Many with me/CFS can’t do the things people are supposed to do to prevent early mental decline.

There are no evidence that me/ CFS leads to early dementia, all scientific papers I’ve found are telling me there are no correlation whatsoever.

And here, in this forum, some of the sharpest minds are people who have lived for many years.

But still I wonder… so I thought I would ask here…what do you think?
 
Rufous McKinney

Rufous McKinney

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14,785
Until we understand what is causing these various brain challenges, which are lumped into this general overused term, Dementia......

I'm reading its a disease of old age.

So our overall population is aging, and we live longer. And they keep trying to keep us alive longer. While increasing the number of chemicals and environmental toxins, every few minutes.
 
Violeta

Violeta

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3,521
PKM2 has been found in relation to ME/CFS and dementia, especially dementia in Alzheimer's.

PKM2 (Pyruvate Kinase M2) is a metabolic enzyme that plays a role in both normal brain function and in the development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). Elevated levels of PKM2 in the brain have been observed in AD patients and animal models, and it has been linked to the production of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, a hallmark of AD. Furthermore, PKM2 is involved in the regulation of other cellular processes that can contribute to neurodegeneration, including neurogenesis and microglial activation.


PKM2 accelerated the progression of chronic fatigue syndrome via promoting the H4K12la/ NF-κB induced neuroinflammation and mitochondrial damage
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40155479/

Hypoxic dementia, also known as cerebral hypoxia-related dementia, refers to cognitive decline and dementia symptoms that can develop as a result of prolonged or severe oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) to the brain. This condition can affect various cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and executive function, and can lead to structural brain changes.
Aberrant role of pyruvate kinase M2 in the regulationof gamma-secretase and memory deficits inAlzheimer’s disease
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(21)01596-5.pdf

Hypoxia induces PKM2 expression
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163721000908
 
Violeta

Violeta

Senior Member
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3,521
There's a good study about what is called a triad...hypoxia, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, and their effect on the brain. But I can't get it. Those three things are good to consider, though. It's a huge topic. I don't even know where to start.
 
Violeta

Violeta

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3,521
This is encouraging.
Schisandra, particularly Schisandra chinensis, has shown potential in preclinical studies for improving cognitive function and potentially alleviating dementia symptoms. Research suggests it may exert neuroprotective effects, combat inflammation, and enhance learning and memory, possibly by modulating pathways involved in Alzheimer's disease.

Even green tea is good.
Regular, moderate tea consumption, particularly green tea, appears to be a simple and accessible lifestyle habit that could potentially help protect brain health and reduce the risk of dementia. This potential benefit is likely linked to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of compounds found in tea leaves.
 
Violeta

Violeta

Senior Member
Messages
3,521
Gynostemma is helpful. This is one reason among the many I am seeing by googling it.
  • Neuroprotection: Studies suggest that gynostemma may protect brain cells from damage and maintain overall brain health. It may also help prevent and treat brain damage from conditions like stroke by shielding brain tissue against oxygen and blood sugar deficiencies.
I think the Longevity tea that @perchance dreamer mentioned mixed with green tea would be a good way to protect against dementia. It's a combination of

Schizandra Berry, Goji Berry, Astragalus Root, Eleuthero Root, Luo Han Guo Fruit​

 
linusbert

linusbert

Senior Member
Messages
1,804
Violeta said:
PKM2 has been found in relation to ME/CFS and dementia, especially dementia in Alzheimer's.

PKM2 (Pyruvate Kinase M2) is a metabolic enzyme that plays a role in both normal brain function and in the development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). Elevated levels of PKM2 in the brain have been observed in AD patients and animal models, and it has been linked to the production of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, a hallmark of AD. Furthermore, PKM2 is involved in the regulation of other cellular processes that can contribute to neurodegeneration, including neurogenesis and microglial activation.


PKM2 accelerated the progression of chronic fatigue syndrome via promoting the H4K12la/ NF-κB induced neuroinflammation and mitochondrial damage
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40155479/

Hypoxic dementia, also known as cerebral hypoxia-related dementia, refers to cognitive decline and dementia symptoms that can develop as a result of prolonged or severe oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) to the brain. This condition can affect various cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and executive function, and can lead to structural brain changes.
Aberrant role of pyruvate kinase M2 in the regulationof gamma-secretase and memory deficits inAlzheimer’s disease
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(21)01596-5.pdf

Hypoxia induces PKM2 expression
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163721000908
Click to expand...
Chris masterjohn had a recent series in his blog about hypoxia and the role of serotonin which is also to protect cells from hypoxia.
 
Zebra

Zebra

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1,143
Location
Northern California
Hi, @Hufsamor

You raise a good question!

A possible connection between ME/CFS and dementia has also been on my mind.

You say that you could not find any scientific/medical papers about a correlation between CFS/ME and dementia, and I'm not surprised to hear that, because there still isn't much interest or urgency to understand or solve ME/CFS.

However, there has been an explosion of scientific/medical papers about long-covid, and I recently came across at least half a dozen articles postulating a connection between long-covid and neurodegenerative diseases, which, frankly made my blood run cold.

(I do not have long-covid, but I imagine there are many biological similarities between long-covid and me/CFS.)

You can do an Internet search or a Google Scholar search for "long covid and neurodegenerative disease" and read what interests you.

For the purpose of simplicity and brevity, I am going to post a link to a published "Commentary" about the topic. That's as deep as my brain can go today.

P.S. I just looked at the references in the link below. That's probably a better curated reading list than an internet search.

https://journals.lww.com/brci/fulltext/2025/01000/from_long_covid_to_neurodegeneration.12.aspx
 
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Hufsamor

Hufsamor

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Location
Norway
very good suggestions!
Thank you !!

Edit:
The link has suggestions for help.
Some we know from before-
help your gut
anti inflammatory (suggestions from article:
temelimab and baricitinib)

And finally I cut and paste this about the brain:

Finally, thanks to neuroplasticity, there is an incentive in neurogenesis that can even occur in adult brains (neurogenesis exists in the hippocampus in adult humans, and this constitutes a great opportunity for the design of therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s among others), an important point being to promote it through specific therapies (mainly antidepressants such as fluoxetine or sertraline, which have been tested in both murine and human cell models), in addition to therapies aimed at preventing neuronal loss and microglia activation.

I think this means even adults can grow back lost brain cells? (Or something?)
 
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