Traces of metal in teeth could point to eventual onset of ALS
A new study by scientists at New York-based teaching hospital Mount Sinai has suggested signs of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, may be detectable in teeth, well before the onset of any symptoms. ALS is the third most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – usually appearing around the age of 60 – and sadly, has no known cause or cure.
Previous research has suggested a link between exposure to metals and the development of a number of neurodegenerative diseases: certain metals such as copper, zinc and iron, although naturally found in the brain, can slowly accumulate if the body’s normal homeostatic mechanisms are not functioning correctly – the process is called metal dyshomeostasis. Additionally, other studies have also found adulthuman teeth can hold stable deposits of trace metals, with the chronological rings in our teethsimilar to growth rings on a tree.
The new study conducted at Mount Sinai examined teeth taken from 36 ALS patients, and compared their metal uptake to 31 healthy control samples. Then, using a novel analysis technique, the scientists were able to create temporal profiles of environmental metal exposure during childhood for each subject. The scientists noted those who ultimately went on to develop ALS in their older age displayed dysregulated metal uptake during their early years of life. There was also increased childhood uptake of 11 different metals including chromium, manganese, nickel, tin, and zinc, detected during the course of the study.
The general hypothesis raised by this study suggests the neurodegeneration associated with ALS could begin decades before symptoms appear. It certainly could point researchers toward novel preventative treatments such as testing a child’s discarded baby teeth to detect metal uptake dysregulation, essentially a very early risk marker for later development of neurodegenerative disease.
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