Faculty of Medicine’s Dr. Richard Bergeron Developing Breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s Research
February 1st, 2012
As Alzheimer’s Awareness Month comes to a close, thousands of Canadians continue to be affected by the presence of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a fatal, degenerative and progressive disease which targets and destroys brain cells. There is no known cure or treatments for its progression and many questions on the cause, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease still remain.
Dr. Richard Bergeron, an assistant professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, is one researcher in Canada whose work is dedicated in answering some of those questions. He and his team are currently conducting research on neurons in the human brain to find out why Alzheimer’s happens while developing a vaccine to prevent it.
The vaccine in production is designed to degrade amyloid data, a harmful chemical in the brain that is produced naturally as a person ages. Patients afflicted with Alzheimer’s produce amyloid data in larger quantities and at a more rapid pace. “We are looking at conducting clinical trials for a vaccine in 2012, which is very exciting,” says Dr. Bergeron.
In the brain’s nervous system, neurons communicate with each other to transmit signals and messages through a structure called a synapse, which are crucial for humans to function. “A synapse is a way for neurons to talk to each other, and the brain is a network of neurons,” says Dr. Bergeron. “The brain is powerful as long as the neurons keep communicating. We would like to understand why neurons lose contact with each other.”
Dr. Bergeron’s research is a crucial step towards confronting Alzheimer’s disease. A number of factors have contributed to the rise in numbers of cases across Canada, including life expectancy rates which have risen steadily since the 1940’s. Since World War II, life expectancy in Canada has increased by 6 months every year and subsequently creating a growing aging population. With research and treatments for heart diseases and cancer steadily improving, mental health and neurological diseases are fast becoming an overwhelming burden on society.
Other risk factors include family history, gender, medical history and head trauma. Genetics can play a significant role in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. As well, research has shown that women are twice more likely to have Alzheimer’s than their male counterparts because of higher life expectancy rates for females. Diabetes is also a risk as high levels of glucose affect the brain, as well as high blood pressure when left untreated.
Head trauma will significantly initiate the process of dementia, a concern that is currently resounding with professional athletes. “The brain is a separate entity, and suffering hits to the head causes it to knock on the bone,” says Dr. Bergeron. “This causes loss of synapses and connections between the neurons. When there are no connections, the neurons die. We are seeing athletes as young as 40 to 45 years old with dementia.”
Dr. Bergeron is able to properly examine synapses and neurons thanks to an objective-coupled planar illumination microscopy, just one of a few sophisticated pieces of equipment which makes research possible. He credits support from donors including You and Me for Memories, a volunteer-based fundraising group co-founded by David St-Jean and Bruce Levis.