ArticlePloS one2008
Seropositivity to herpes simplex virus antibodies and risk of Alzheimer's disease: a population-based cohort study.
Article in PloS one, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 126 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
126 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 249 citations in OpenAlex.
- Herpes simplex virus 2 and dementia risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in dementia · 2026Pooled it
- Association between microbiological risk factors and neurodegenerative disorders: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Microbial Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Assessment of Microorganisms' Implications in the Neurodegenerative Disease.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Pooled it
- Human herpesvirus infections and dementia or mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2019Pooled it
- Herpes simplex virus pUL56 abolishes neuronal activity by removing voltage-gated ion channels from the plasma membrane.Science advances · 2026Article
- Association of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 With Dementia Outcomes: Longitudinal Retrospective Cohort Study Using Real-World Electronic Health Record Data.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Exploring the role of infectious pathogens in Alzheimer's disease neuroinflammation.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Herpes simplex virus infection and Alzheimer's disease.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Review
- Antiviral responses in peripheral and brain neurons.Current opinion in immunology · 2025Review
- Sequelae of viral CNS infections including outcomes, mechanisms, and knowledge gaps.Npj viruses · 2025Review
- HSV-1 infection induces brain cofilin hyperphosphorylation in the 5×FAD Alzheimer's Disease mouse model.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- What would it take to prove that a chronic infection is a causal agent in Alzheimer's disease?Trends in neurosciences · 2025Review
- Herpes Simplex Virus Neurovirulence Across the Human Lifespan.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Review
- Unraveling brain aging through the lens of oral microbiota.Neural regeneration research · 2025Article
- Review
- Review
- HSV-1 virions and related particles: biogenesis and implications in the infection.Journal of virology · 2025Review
- Viral immunological complications in neurological surgery: A comprehensive review of homeostatic disturbances and cognitive impairments.Surgical neurology international · 2025Review
- The associations of herpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus infection with dementia: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2024Article
- Viral Infections, Are They a Trigger and Risk Factor of Alzheimer's Disease?Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
66 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHerpes Simplex Virus (HSV) infection has been proposed as a possible risk factor of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) notably because it is neurotropic, ubiquitous in the general population and able to establish lifelong latency in the host. The fact that HSV was present in elderly subjects with AD suggests that the virus could be a co-factor of the disease. We investigated the risk of developing AD in anti-HSV immunoglobulin G (IgG) positive subjects (indicator of a lifelong infection to HSV) and IgM-positive subjects (indicator of primary infection or reactivation of the virus) in a longitudinal population-based cohort of elderly subjects living in the community.
methodsCox proportional hazard models were used to study the risk of developing AD according to the presence or not of anti-HSV IgG and IgM antibodies, assessed in the sera of 512 elderly initially free of dementia followed for 14 years.
resultsDuring the follow-up, 77 incident AD cases were diagnosed. Controlled for age, gender, educational level and Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) status, IgM-positive subjects showed a significant higher risk of developing AD (HR = 2.55; 95% CI [1.38-4.72]), although no significant increased risk was observed in IgG-positive subjects (HR = 1.67; 95%CI [0.75-3.73]). No modification effect with APOE4 status was found.
conclusionReactivation of HSV seropositivity is highly correlated with incident AD. HSV chronic infection may therefore be contributive to the progressive brain damage characteristic of AD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.