My Alzheimer's Journey
Part 76 - Is there a Link Between Gum Disease and Alzheimer's Disease?
Early this morning, someone posted an article in the Alzheimer’s community on Reddit titled, Before memory comes the mouth: this early Alzheimer’s signal scientists are exploring. The article is from Futura and dated January 28, 2026. I quickly learned two things:
Futura is “France’s leading science media”
The January 28 article is about a study published in 2019 in Science Advances (not exactly breaking news!)
I was enjoying a cup of coffee, petting Big Bit, watching the morning news, and scrolling Reddit (I can still multitask!). My curiosity suddenly woke up, and I decided to look up the 2019 study referenced in Futura. I wondered what “before memory comes the mouth” means.
Talk about going down a rabbit hole!
The article, Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors, was published January 29, 2019 (interesting that is exactly seven years ago). The article has twenty six authors. The majority of the authors are scientists from universities in the United States and Europe. Twelve of the authors work for a Cortexyme, Inc.. Funding for the study came from Cortexyme.
With caffeine racing through my body, my Alzheimer’s damaged brain assumed that Cortexyme had funded the study as part of a new investigational drug development project. The university scientists gave the study credibility.
Cortexyme was cofounded in 2012 by University of California, San Francisco, psychiatrist Stephen Dominy. Dr. Dominy discovered bacteria and accumulations of a bacterial protease in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Early funding for Cortexyme came from private investors, private equity firms, and others (even Alphabet). In May, 2019, Cortexyme had a successful IPO raising approximately $83 million. About the same time, Cortexyme’s completed preclinical findings of Atuzaginstat. (Can anyone pronounce this?)
Atuzaginstat acted as a gingipain inhibitor targeting Porphyromonas gingivalis. The drug entered Phase 2/3 trials around 2020-2021. Early results indicated liver enzyme elevations greater than three times the upper limit of normal. In October 2021, Cortexyme announced top-line results indicating the trial had missed its co-primary endpoints. In January 2022, the FDA placed a full clinical hold on Atuzaginstat due to concerns about liver toxicity.
At that point, Cortexyme started unraveling. Their stock price dropped 30%. Employees were laid off. In August 2022, Cortexyme discontinued the gingipain inhibitor program. Today, the company is called Quince Therapeutics.
While down the rabbit hole, I learned that “before memory comes the mouth” is an odd way of pointing out that there is a link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s.
These research studies are indicative of the commitment scientists and researchers have to discover the role gum disease plays in Alzheimer’s.
July 2023, “Gum disease linked to buildup of Alzheimer’s plaque formation”
February 2024, “CDM Researcher Finds Link Between Oral Health and Dementia”
July 2025, “Gum Disease Is Linked to Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias”
A very promising study is underway at Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia. In early 2025, Dr. Ranya El Sayed, assistant professor of Periodontics, was awarded a $2.8 million grant from the National Institute On Aging. The study, The role of oral microbially-induced exosomes in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis, is focused on the potential mechanisms by which oral pathogens may penetrate the Blood Brain Barrier.
I have contacted Dr. El Sayed about the study. When she responds, I will write an update to this article.
In closing, this video from The Cleveland Clinic will help you improve your gum health. After watching the video, I realize that I have a tad bit of work to do in order to clean my gums better.
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This is fascinating, and a little concerning, as I see more gingivitis among young people more than I ever did as a young person myself. The waterpik is my friend now, and I wish I'd discovered it much earlier in life.