How two common viruses trigger the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have described a biological mechanism for developing Alzheimer's disease. Photo: Getty

Talk about what causes Alzheimer’s disease tends to be frustrating and opaque. A lot of it is about risk factors, not biological mechanisms.

We’re told that the risk for developing Alzheimer’s increases with age, mostly after we hit 65. Women are at greater risk than men. People with a family history of the disease are more likely to get it themselves.