Low dose radiation cuts the causative agent of Alzheimer’s in half

It was confirmed that the causative factor of Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by more than 50% in mice exposed to low dose radiation.

The Korea Institute of Atomic Energy and Medicine announced on the 26th that the research team led by Dr Younghoon Son and Haejun Lee identified the effects of long-term exposure to ‘low-dose rate low-dose radiation’ on Alzheimer’s disease for the first time. time in the world.

‘Low dose radiation low dose rate’ refers to radiation with low radiation intensity and low radiation amount. Low dose radiation is low dose radiation, like natural radiation, and generally means radiation of 100 mSv or less.

Recently, due to social interest in the effects of low dose radiation on the body, studies related to various diseases have been continuously carried out In line with the growing trend of degenerative brain diseases that cause dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease due to an aging population, studies on the relationship between low dose radiation and the need for Alzheimer’s disease are emerging.

The research team focused on the fact that Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by atrophy of the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and cognitive function, and changes in the hippocampus were observed by irradiating the brains of experimental mice with Alzheimer’s disease with low-dose radiation for approximately 4 months.

As a result of the experiment, in mice exposed to low dose radiation, interferon-gamma signaling substances, a factor associated with inflammation, was significantly reduced. It was confirmed that it was reduced by around 50% compared to with the experimental mice that were not exposed to it.

Through this study, the research team identified that low-dose radiation exposure may be involved in the regulation of brain inflammatory factors caused by Alzheimer’s disease and beta-amyloid control mechanisms, and suggested the need and possibility of using low-dose radiation low for future research on degenerative brain diseases.

The results of the research were published in the online edition of the International Journal of Radiation Biology on May 12, 2023, an international journal of radiation biology.

Dr. Hae-Jun Lee said, “This study is meaningful as it is the first time to evaluate the effect of low-dose and low-dose radiation exposure on groups vulnerable to brain health damage such as Alzheimer’s disease. We intend to continue,” he said.

This study was conducted as part of the ‘Complex Effect Study of Group-Radiation Targeting Vulnerable People on Human Risk Factors’ among the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Radiation Safety Material and Medical Technology Development Project.