In the early 1900s, Auguste Deter was the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's (Credit: Wikipedia)
Lifestyle and genetic factors certainly play a role in the development of the illness.
But it looks increasingly possible that some common viruses and bacteria – the kinds that give us cold sores and gum disease – may, over the long term, trigger the death of neural tissue and a steady cognitive decline. If so, infections may be one of the leading causes of the dementia.
It's a theory that could have profound implications for prevention of the disease, writes David Robson.
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