New results could change the face of Alzheimer’s treatment; the herpes simplex virus is found to play a vital role in the condition, and antiherpetic medication is shown to have a dramatic effect on dementia risk.

Share on Pinterest Alzheimer’s disease may soon be treated with antiviral medication.

Last month, Medical News Today reported on a study that found “strong evidence” that viruses are involved in Alzheimer’s disease.

The postmortem analyses of brain tissue found that people who lived with this dementia type also had more herpesviruses 6 and 7 than people without Alzheimer’s.

Now, a scientific commentary suggests that the study that MNT covered is not the only one to pinpoint a link between herpes and dementia.

In fact, three more studies have strengthened this link, and the commentary — recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – takes a look at all three.

Ruth Itzhaki, who is a professor of neuroscience and experimental psychology at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, alongside Richard Lathe, who is a professor in the Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, also in the U.K., authored the commentary.