Types of Alzheimer's Disease
Jul 12, 2024
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Types of Alzheimer's Disease
Different researchers classify Alzheimer's Disease using vastly different stages. Alzheimer's Disease has a genetic component that becomes active in some people and dormant in others. Alzheimer’s creates an environment that promotes brain changes in those affected. Lastly, amyloid plaque is the brain’s protective response to vastly different lifestyle insults.
Alzheimer’s Disease is an imbalance of multiple systems within the body.
People with Alzheimer’s disease usually have
more than one type and present multiple risk factors.
One of the things I like most about breaking
Alzheimer’s into types is once you know where you stand, it is easy to begin to
resolve. Dr. Bredesen’s books provide many examples from his
patients.
Also, please keep in mind that in the descriptions below, I am cutting and pasting most of the information. I do not want to risk misinterpreting any of Dr. Bredesen’s research and misinforming you.
Type 1
Type 1’s primary characteristic is inflammation. It tends to run in families as it is common in people who carry one or two ApoE4 alleles (ApoE in itself is considered an inflammatory gene). Individuals begin to lose the ability to store new information in the hippocampus – for individuals who carry two copies of ApoE4 this tends to start in the late fifties or early sixties. For those with no copies of ApoE4, symptoms present typically in the sixties or seventies. A reduced hippocampal volume – chronic inflammation encourages the brain to destroy synapses faster than it creates them.
Biochemical Markers of Type 1
- An
increase in C-reactive protein (CRP), which is made by the liver in
response to inflammation.
- A
decrease in the ratio of albumin to globulin.
- An
increase in interleukin-6.
- An
increase in tumor necrosis factor.
- Additional
metabolic and hormonal abnormalities such as insulin resistance
Type 2
Type 2’s primary characteristic is low levels
of nutrients, hormone factors, and/or trophic factors. Type 2 also occurs
more frequently in those who carry one or two copies of the ApoE4 allele, but
the symptoms tend to initiate about a decade later than the inflammatory Type
1. Individuals begin to lose the ability to form new memories in the
hippocampus. However, there is little to no evidence of inflammation –
sometimes inflammatory markers may be lower than normal.
Biochemical Markers of Type 2
Levels of hormones such as thyroid, adrenal,
estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and pregnenolone tend to be suboptimal.
The optimal hormone ranges are:
- TSH:
less than 2.0 mIU/L
- Free
T3: 3.2-4.2 pg/mL
- Free
T4: 1.3-1.8 ng/dL
- Reverse
T3: less than 20 ng/dL
- AM
Cortisol: 10-18 mcg/dL
- Pregnenolone:
100-250 ng/dL
- Estradiol:
50– 250 pg/ mL (women, age-dependent)
- Progesterone:
1-20 ng/mL (women, age-dependent)
- Testosterone:
500-1,000 ng/dL (men) 25-70 ng/dL (women)
A decrease in serum Vitamin D levels. Normal
Vitamin D levels should be 50-80 ng/mL.
An increase in homocysteine levels can occur.
Normal homocysteine levels should be less than or equal to 7 μmol/ L
(homocysteine is also seen to increase in Type 1)
Insulin resistance can occur OR insulin levels
may be too low.
Type 1.5
Type 1.5’s primary characteristic is insulin
resistance (diabetes). Type 1 and Type 2 Alzheimer’s Disease can occur together
– often seen with neural inflammation in addition to the reduced support for
brain synapses. A commonly seen combination of type 1 and type 2 AD is known as
Type 1.5 or glycotoxic Alzheimer’s Disease.
Biochemical Markers of Type 1.5
Although characteristics are similar to those
found in Type 1 and Type 2 AD, blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c are
chronically high in Type 1.5 which results in inflammation.
- Normal
fasting blood glucose levels should be between 70-90 mg/dL
- Normal
hemoglobin A1c levels should be 4.0-5.3%
High levels of insulin that are secreted in
response to this high blood glucose level lead to insulin resistance. This
results in a loss of trophic support. Trophic support
refers to a variety of chemical signals that neurons need to continue living.
Brain cells die and the brain shrinks when you experience a loss of trophic
support.
Neurons are energetically expensive cells. They
use a lot of oxygen and require a large expenditure of energy in the form of
ATP to do their normal functions. As part of homeostatic adjustment, the body
prefers to minimize extra energy usage. However, since neurons are critically
important for healthy functioning, they receive signals in the form of
chemicals that tell them to continue working. These chemicals are called
trophic factors.
Many of these trophic factors are synthesized
and released by glial cells of the nervous system, the non-neuronal cells that
interact closely with the neurons. Glial cells, particularly the astrocytes and
Schwann cells, are well-known producers of trophic support molecules.
One of the best-characterized trophic support
molecules is called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.
BDNF is a large protein. BDNF is normally synthesized and produced by cells of
the nervous system and is important for making changes in neurons or for the
growth of nerve cells. BDNF signals through the activity of several different
receptors, the most well-known being the TrkB receptor.
Other neurotrophic factors used by the nervous
system that are important as trophic support molecules include nerve growth
factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3, glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and
ephrins. Trophic factors, such as NGF and BDNF, control the development and
survival of specific groups of neurons.
Type 1, Type 1.5 & Type 2 Alzheimer’s Disease lead to the imbalance between the production and destruction of neural synapses.
Type 3
Type 3’s primary characteristic is exposure to
toxins such as mercury, toluene, benzene (candles), or mycotoxins (mold). Type
3 tends to occur in those who have the ApoE3 allele rather than ApoE4 and does
not typically run in families.
Type 3 hits individuals at younger ages,
typically late forties to early sixties. Symptoms do not begin with memory loss
but rather with cognitive difficulties involving numbers, speech, or
organization. Individuals will start seeing difficulties with:
- Math,
such as calculating tips or bills.
- Speech,
such as finding the right words, or spelling or reading correctly.
- Rules
of games, such as poker or bridge.
- Depression
and attention deficits are common.
The brain ultimately loses recent and old
memories.
Patients with Type 3 are often diagnosed
initially with something other than Alzheimer’s Disease such as depression or
frontotemporal dementia.
Biochemical Markers of Type 3
- Low
triglyceride levels as compared to cholesterol levels.
- MRI
scans show shrinkage of the hippocampus.
- Neuroinflammation
and vascular leaks are presented on a specific MRI called FLAIR
(Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) as white spots.
- Decreased
zinc levels. Normal levels are between 90-110 mcg/dL.
- Elevated
copper levels. Normal copper levels are between 90-110 mcg/dL.
- High
blood levels of toxic chemicals such as mercury or mycotoxins (caused by
molds).
- The
pituitary gland and adrenal glands become dysfunctional, which can show up
in lab tests as hormonal abnormalities.
Type 4
Type 4’s primary characteristic is low blood
flow to the brain. Type 4 or Vascular Alzheimer’s Disease, is caused by a
reduction of blood flow to the brain, which ultimately deprives the brain of
essential oxygen and nutrients. The brain is an extremely vascularized tissue,
meaning it requires large amounts of oxygen. A lack of oxygen to the brain
leads to hypoperfusion (low blood flow) and compromises the blood-brain barrier
which allows for harmful substances to leak in and damage neurons. Cerebral vasculature
is extremely important as it is one way the body clears the accumulation of
amyloid-beta.
Biochemical Markers of Type 4
“Leakiness” present in vascular tissues.
Individuals with cardiovascular disease have a
high risk for Type 4 Alzheimer’s.
These individuals do best when they prioritize
healing underlying insulin resistance.
Type 5
Type 5’s primary characteristic is brain
damage. Type 5 or trauma-induced Alzheimer’s, results from traumatic brain
injuries (TBI) which disrupt normal brain function, including learning and
thinking skills. Certain types of TBI’s may increase the risk of developing
Alzheimer’s disease years after the injury takes place.
One of the most impactful studies showed that
those with a history of moderate TBI had a 2.3 times greater risk of developing
Alzheimer’s than older adults with no history of a head injury and those with a
history of severe TBI had a 4.5 times greater risk.
Biochemical Markers of Type 5
There are no biochemical markers for Type 5 as it is triggered by injuries to the brain such as:
- Blunt
force trauma
- Concussions
- Physical
Abuse
- Chronic
traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
Now that we have broken down Alzheimer’s Disease into 6 different types and identified their characteristics and potential causes we can begin to address what you need to do to prevent and begin to heal the damaging insults to the brain. We will begin to work on that next week.
OR if you want to jump ahead, purchase Dr. Dale
Bredesen’s books. Here are the links to purchase them on Amazon.
The End of Alzheimer’s 2
Books Collection Set By Dale Bredesen Paperback – October 26, 2023
LINK: https://amzn.to/462LcY3
The End of Alzheimer's Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age Paperback – September 6, 2022
LINK: https://amzn.to/3xNcrct
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- To view the original version of this article visit alzheimerssurvivor.com/blogs/what-is-an-alzheimers-survivor/types-of-alzheimers-disease
- Seniors Blue Book was not involved in the creation of this content.
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