Researchers study potential effect of red tide on human brains

A study happening in Sarasota aims to understand if toxins in red tide have any effect on the brains and nervous system of humans, WTSP reports.

On Thursday, low to medium levels of red tide were reported in Southwest Florida according to FWC.

Scientists at The Roskamp Institute have started the “Red Tide Project”

The institute has a long history of research examining the causes and potential cures for neurological disorders, particularly dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

According to the institute, during several decades of research it has become abundantly clear that one of the common denominators in neurodegenerative diseases is inflammation, in its many forms. Thus, the Institute has developed many techniques to measure and quantify inflammation in human and animal brains. Sometimes this inflammation is seen in the form of effects that are just local to the brain but sometimes they have a systemic component, meaning that chemicals and cells from the peripheral blood enter the brain and promote inflammatory processes.

“Our goal is to understand whether Brevetoxin from Red Tide poses a significant health risk to our local community. Of course, as with all studies at the Institute, we are always interested in prevention and/or therapeutic approaches to any CNS conditions and thus, as our studies progress we will always be thinking about potential ways to combat Brevetoxin, should it be shown to have significant neuroinflammatory or other CNS effects in humans.”

Learn more about how to participate in the Red Tide study at: https://www.roskampclinic.org or call 941-256-8019 ext 3008.