(Wired) – Evidence suggests reactivations of the varicella-zoster virus may accelerate aging and raise dementia risk. Now scientists want to know if vaccines and antivirals could help protect the brain.

This remarkable case study, published in 2016, has inspired neurovirologists to look deeper into the connection between shingles and brain aging. For decades, shingles has been predominantly associated with a form of nerve pain known as postherpetic neuralgia, which can be so severe that it was once cited as the leading cause of pain-related suicide in the elderly. Now, research is starting to reveal the devastating impact that shingles can have on brain health.

According to Andrew Bubak, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Colorado Anschutz, the true burden of varicella-zoster “is totally underestimated. But it’s a very treatable virus.” (Read More)