Role of Seizures in Alzheimer's Disease Is Gaining Overdue Attention

Though seizures and Alzheimer's have been linked for more than 100 years, scientists are only now beginning to study the connection in earnest — and their findings are already raising interesting questions, reports Stat News . Recent research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference suggests that, contrary to the widely held belief that Alzheimer's patients' seizures are caused by late-stage brain deterioration, seizures are fairly common in Alzheimer's patients and occur before even obvious symptoms like memory loss. Two of the studies presented at the conference both found that early seizures are a strong indicator that a person has an increased risk for dementia or Alzheimer's. Several other studies presented at the conference found that people with Alzheimer's are more likely to have seizures than people without Alzheimer's. Some scientists believe that the gradual breakdown of inhibitory neurons over time leads to hyperactivity, which in turn causes seizures and interferes with memory and other cognitive processes. These scientists believe that further study of hyperactivity and seizures can shed light on Alzheimer's.