"Link Found Between Ancient Viruses in DNA and Dementia Development"

Researchers have discovered a potential link between "endogenous retroviruses" present in the human genome and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. These ancient viral remnants, such as HERV-W and HERV-K, were found to aid in the transport of tau aggregates, protein clumps associated with diseases like Alzheimer's. While these retroviruses don't trigger neurodegeneration, they may exacerbate the disease process. This discovery offers new potential therapeutic avenues, such as suppressing gene expression or neutralizing viral proteins with antibodies.