HoldsUp

FoundMyFitness · 2023-02-28 · Rhonda Patrick (host), Axel Montagne

Axel Montagne, PhD, on Solving Alzheimer’s and Dementia with Blood-Brain Barrier Repair

74 research-tied claims examined: 5 contradicted 5 overstated 7 context 50 supported 7 unverified

5

Overstated

0:00:56Axel Montagneoverstatedlow

Lack of exercise accelerates age-related vision loss.

"It's true for the eyes, obviously, or if you don't exercise you're gonna tend to lose eye vision quicker than the normal person as you age" (said at 0:00:56)

Observational cohort studies show that higher physical activity is associated with a modest reduction in the risk of certain age-related eye conditions, primarily cataract (relative risk ~0.90) and diabetic retinopathy, but evidence for age-related macular degeneration is weak and statistically inconsistent (relative risk ~0.92, 95% CI: 0.84–1.01), and studies find no clear association with glaucoma. Furthermore, these epidemiological associations do not demonstrate that physical inactivity directly accelerates the rate of normal age-related visual decline (such as presbyopia) or vision loss in general.

0:45:55Axel Montagneoverstatedvery low

Administering omega-3 fatty acids to aged mice reduces brain endothelial VCAM-1 levels.

"A couple of studies have given some omega-3 to the mice, and I remember seeing the reduction of one particular protein that I really like to study and we are currently studying is VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. And omega-3 was able to reduce these levels" (said at 0:45:55)

While omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to attenuate vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) expression under neuroinflammatory conditions, this reduction was demonstrated in an in vitro human microfluidic blood-brain barrier model stimulated with interleukin-1β rather than directly measured in the brain endothelium of aged mice in vivo. In mice subjected to orthopedic surgical trauma, intravenous omega-3 fatty acid administration inhibited surgery-induced blood-brain barrier impairment and microglial activation, but the claim overstates the evidence by extrapolating the specific endothelial VCAM-1 attenuation from the cell model to in vivo mouse studies.

1:00:05Rhonda Patrick (host)overstatedlow

Postmortem analyses of infants in Mexico City found amyloid plaques in their brains.

"Yes, I remember reading a study where babies, you know, in Mexico City, postmortem they found, unfortunately, in babies they had like all sorts of amyloid plaques in their brain." (said at 1:00:05)

Postmortem forensic studies of residents in Metropolitan Mexico City exposed to severe air pollution have investigated early Alzheimer's disease pathology in cohorts ranging from infants to young adults. However, while autopsy findings identified early hyperphosphorylated tau pre-tangles in an 11-month-old infant and toddlers, diffuse amyloid-beta plaques and vascular amyloid were identified primarily in older children and adolescents during the second decade of life, rather than abundant amyloid plaques in infants.

1:24:42Axel Montagneoverstatedvery low

Chronic alcohol consumption leads to blood-brain barrier leakage in males, whereas age-matched female chronic drinkers show relatively preserved vascular function.

"there is a gender effect, a sex effect. So the males tend to have—if you're a chronic drinker of alcohol, you will have some vascular issues. It has been linked, so if you chronically drink alcohol, you have a leakier blood-brain barrier, it has been shown. But if a woman drank the same, as age-matched and everything, they will have almost preserved vascular functions." (said at 1:24:42)

The speaker extrapolates findings from preclinical rodent experiments directly to human men and women. In animal models of chronic and intermittent ethanol exposure, male rats demonstrate increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and vascular dysfunction across several brain regions, whereas age-matched female rats show resistance to ethanol-induced BBB hyperpermeability. However, direct evidence establishing that human females are protected from alcohol-induced neurovascular or BBB disruption compared to males is lacking, and broader human epidemiological literature indicates that women often experience equal or heightened susceptibility to alcohol-related systemic and organ toxicity at equivalent exposure levels.

1:32:17Rhonda Patrick (host)overstatedlow

In people with high homocysteine, treatment with a combination of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate improved cognition and reduced blood-brain barrier permeability.

"in people that had high homocysteine, when they were treated with a B6, B12, folate sort of concoction to help lower their homocysteine, it improved their cognition and also lowered blood-brain barrier [permeability]" (said at 1:32:17)

The host refers to a small uncontrolled clinical trial (PMID 12826740) in 30 patients with mild cognitive impairment and hyperhomocysteinemia treated with a B6, B12, and folate combination for 270 days. The study found that treatment significantly reduced the CSF/serum albumin ratio (indicating reduced blood-brain barrier permeability/tightening) and stabilized cognitive status (none progressed to dementia), but it did not demonstrate a clear improvement in cognition (cognitive performance was stabilized/no progression to dementia, not measured as a statistically significant cognitive improvement). Additionally, the study was a small open-label uncontrolled case series, which limits certainty.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.