A relatively mundane middle-aged rite of passage — shingles vaccination — might offer an added benefit: protection against, or even the slowing of the progression of, dementia.

Over the past several years, a growing body of research has suggested that immunization against shingles may reduce the risk of dementia by up to 20%. Now, a new study adds a tantalizing twist: The vaccine may also have a therapeutic effect in those who already have the condition. This wasn’t a modest effect, either — the shot appeared to lower the risk of death associated with dementia over the course of almost a decade by nearly 30%.

The findings are yet another reminder of the remarkable and often unexpected ways that vaccines can protect us well beyond their intended role of preventing infection. And if the findings hold up in more rigorous studies, the results could point to a relatively inexpensive and widely available tool with the potential to meaningfully improve population health. That would be an astounding development.

Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of shingles, characterized by a painful, blistering rash. That’s because the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox hibernates in our nervous system until it re-emerges later in life.

What, then, could a vaccine against shingles possibly have to do with dementia?

Researchers have two plausible theories. The first focuses on the virus itself. If the chickenpox virus is repeatedly activated and then suppressed by the immune system, it could cause brain inflammation that contributes to dementia, says Pascal Geldsetzer, a Stanford University population health scientist who led the vaccine study.

That theory aligns with what we know about the sneaky ways viruses can wreak havoc long after we’ve recovered from an infection.

Increasing evidence has also linked the Epstein-Barr virus — a member of the same herpesvirus family — to multiple sclerosis. The theory is that the virus features a protein that resembles one found in the brain and spinal cord, so when the immune system mounts an attack, it mistakenly chips away at the protective coating on nerve cells. (Several groups are working to develop a vaccine against Epstein-Barr in the hope that it might protect against multiple sclerosis, too.)

The other hypothesis rests on some vaccines’ ability to offer broader health benefits — benefits that come not from targeting the virus, but from triggering the immune system to be on the hunt for bad actors.

For example, researchers recently found that mRNA-based COVID vaccines might extend the lives of certain cancer patients. This effect appears to result from enhancing the immune system at precisely the right time, enabling it to eliminate tumors more effectively. A large body of work indicates that a tuberculosis vaccine offers protection against other infections and, notably, has reduced the infant mortality rate in some countries. More recent research suggests that this Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine may also reduce the risk of dementia.

Researchers, meanwhile, also need to address two big caveats about these findings.

The first is that the connection is based on studies that looked back at people who did or did not receive the shingles vaccine, rather than on randomized, placebo-controlled trials that can definitively establish an effect. To be fair, these were unusually robust observational studies that compared people born within weeks of each other in the UK, either before or after a strict age cutoff for vaccination.

The second has perhaps greater real-world implications: The studies all rely on data collected when people were receiving the older shingles vaccine, Zostavax, which is no longer used in the U.S. or Europe. That shot was made from a weakened form of the varicella-zoster virus, whereas the current vaccine, Shingrix, exposes the immune system to only a portion of the virus.

Does the effect hold up with the current shot, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the preferred choice in 2018? We just don’t know. If the benefits come from shutting down the virus, they may be as good or even better with the newer vaccine, which is far more effective and longer-lasting than the old one. But if the way the vaccine triggers the immune system’s response is what matters, then the newer shot might not help.

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It is also worth exploring whether a booster could extend those benefits. And what does all of this mean for younger generations who have grown up with the chickenpox vaccine? While many Gen Xers and older Millennials have visceral memories (and maybe a few scars) from their days of itchy misery from chickenpox, a vaccine against varicella was added to the routine childhood immunization schedule in 1996. It will be decades before we determine whether lifelong protection from chickenpox affects brain health.

All of these questions need to be explored in the lab and in clinical trials. Geldsetzer has been trying to raise money to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the older vaccine to conclusively determine its effectiveness in preventing or treating dementia. Getting that off the ground has been a slog. He told me about his plans to run the trial two years ago, and yet the funding still hasn’t materialized.

Let’s hope that changes as evidence of these potentially significant additional benefits of vaccination mounts. Ideally, such a trial would also examine the current shingles vaccine, too. After all, if the effect holds up, it could mean the world would have a relatively inexpensive, one-time intervention to lower the risk of dementia, or even slow it down. That’s something everyone surely would be clamoring to get.

Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News.

Playoff Ant made a mid-December appearance Friday night at Target Center, and it extended well beyond his phenomenal finish.

He’s every bit as good as you remember.

You can’t say enough about the tough step-back triple he made over a perfectly positioned Casson Wallace to put Minnesota up one with 38 seconds to play. Anthony Edwards then put the game on ice with a pair of dominant defensive plays – a block of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on one possession, then a steal on the reigning MVP the next to secure Minnesota’s 112-107 victory.

That was two-way, superstar domination.

The entire evening was, frankly. Even on a night when Edwards had to shake off the rust following a three-game absence to rest a sore foot, the all-star guard impacted the game in a variety of ways. He had three steals, two blocks and a season-high 12 boards, three more than his previous best rebounding total, all to go with an efficient 26 points.

Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori – who filled in for head coach Chris Finch after Finch was ejected just minutes into Friday’s affair – noted Finch held a film session Thursday in which he challenged guys to affect the game outside of their scoring. That’s something Edwards has struggled with at times this season.

“Obviously Ant makes plays for others, but just talking about going in, getting rebounds,” Nori said. “We always are on our smalls going in to rebound. And the one thing, Ant sometimes struggles to box out. If you don’t box out, go get the ball. And tonight he went and got 12 of them.”

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, right, celebrates his three-point basket as Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, left, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Edwards was also sharp defensively and never fought the game offensively. Yes, he tried to take over the game late with his shot – an ultimately successful mission – but that came on the heels of 36-plus minutes of proper decision making.

“Playing the right way, playing fast, playing quick-decision basketball for three and a half quarters, and then put the ball in his hands and he brings you home,” Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “That’s a perfect recipe for us, because everybody else (on the opposing defense), they can’t react, they can’t, overload on him, and he made the right play the entire game.

“He’s an MVP candidate for a reason. At the end of the day we’re putting the ball in his hands, asking him to bring us home. That’s exactly what he did.”

Whatever was required to win. We’ve all seen it before. It’s the mode Edwards consistently shifts to in April and May, when numbers go to the wayside and stakes heighten.

You’ll always find Edwards’ best basketball in the thick of the fight. High-consequence competition is what he craves, and ultimately drives him to achieve.

To Edwards, the regular season is akin to a multi-hour session of playing a Call of Duty video game with friends. An hour in, he might spend a couple games running around with a suboptimal weapon just to see how many kills he can with it. After that, he may even crouch his character in a corner while he goes to the bathroom and grabs a snack.

Because camping out and with a sniper again and again and again – while always effective – can get a little boring.

But when things get serious, rest assured knowing you can count on him to return to his tower with his best weapon in tow to oversee and control the game from above and help his team achieve victory.

He wants to win when winning means the most. He wants to do what many believe can’t be done.

His interest is piqued by the seemingly impossible.

A chance to slay kings of the game such as LeBron, Luka and Jokic in the postseason? Edwards will be there with bells on.

An opportunity to hand the 25-2 defending NBA champions who are pursuing the NBA’s all-time best regular season a third loss? You knew there was no way he was missing this game.

“I was playing,” Edwards said. “I was playing.”

And he wasn’t going to squander his shot. There was no reckless pursuit of 50 points on Friday, nor a lackadaisical effort appearing to lack all urgency.

It was 41 minutes of determination and discipline, with his singular focus centered on the task at hand: Beat the Thunder.

Minnesota did just that, and Edwards was largely to thank.

“I loved his defense, his competitiveness. I thought he did a great job on the boards, too,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “And I thought he did the right play. It didn’t feel like he forced anything, and we won the game.”

They usually do when Edwards plays to that standard, which is why Minnesota wants him to hit it more frequently. Gobert said the Wolves put the necessary effort in when they know it’s required.

“You know what type of team we are,” Edwards said. “Sometimes we don’t always play to our level.”

But Gobert noted the Wolves need to understand if they want to advance far enough into the Western Conference playoffs to earn another seven-game series with the Thunder, “we’ve got to bring it every night.”

“It’s really important for us to realize that it’s almost like we face that team every night,” Gobert said, “because we know where we want to go.”

It starts and ends with Edwards, the almost elevator of a franchise. He’s proven he has the ability to flip the switch to “on” when he deems the stage and opponent worthy of his best.

But it’s also worth noting the value in more consistently producing such efforts during the regular season. As awesome as Edwards has been in recent postseasons, he has also appeared to run out of gas by Round 3.

Now is the time to continue to build up reserve fuel tanks for when his primary stock is burned down to empty by the conclusion of the conference semifinals. Another solution is to manipulate the game with your mind versus commandeering it via a physical chokehold.

Even on a night when the team shot poorly, Edwards’ unselfishness Friday resulted in a game in which Minnesota had six players score 13-plus points. That’s not including Gobert, who tallied nine points and 14 boards.

Edwards was able to control the contest while saving enough energy to finish the fight in the final minute. That’s not necessarily something Edwards would have done even prior to his recent absence.

“Credit to him, because when you’re out and you’re watching it – I was out last year. Julius was out last year – We came back and see the game differently,” DiVincenzo said. “I think that’s what happened for him. He just sees it differently and is (still) being aggressive.”

Perhaps this is even an improved Playoff Ant – one with few peers who is capable of making quite a few more appearances between now and the postseason. You know, just to make sure the motor is running well in preparation for League domination.

As of Friday, everything appeared to be in working order when revved up to max revolutions per minute. But there’s no need to immediately park this car back in the garage.

Edwards should take this truly elite version of his game out for another spin or 30 between now and April, just to see how fast it can go, and for how long.

It’s the best way to prepare the star guard for his ultimate challenge — getting the Timberwolves across the finish line in June.

The closer you are to the front near the end, the easier it is to win the race.

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Today is Saturday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2025. There are 11 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 20, 1986, three Black men were attacked by a group of white youths in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York, resulting in the death of one of the men, Michael Griffith.

Also on this date:

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.

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In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union on a vote of delegates at a secession convention, emboldening other Southern states to follow suit and helping to trigger the American Civil War.

In 1946, the classic holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life” premiered at the Globe Theater in New York City.

In 1987, more than 4,300 people were killed when the Doña Paz (DOHN’-yuh pahz), a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker Vector off Mindoro island.

In 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause, sending troops into Panama to topple the government of Gen. Manuel Noriega.

In 1995, American Airlines Flight 965 from Miami to Cali, Colombia, crashed into a mountain near Buga, Colombia, at night while descending into the Cali area, killing all but four of the 163 passengers and crew aboard.

In 2019, the United States Space Force was established when President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020.

In 2024, a car slammed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, killing six people and injuring more than 200. The suspect, who was arrested, was a doctor originally from Saudi Arabia who had expressed anti-Muslim views and support on social media for a far-right party.

Today’s Birthdays:

Rock drummer Peter Criss (Kiss) is 80.
Producer Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”) is 79.
Musician Alan Parsons is 77.
Author Sandra Cisneros is 71.
Actor Michael Badalucco is 71.
Rock singer Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) is 59.
Filmmaker Todd Phillips is 55.
Actor Jonah Hill is 42.
Soccer player Kylian Mbappé is 27.

Anthony Edwards rose up on a stepback over Cason Wallace, fired and hit an impossible shot to lift the Timberwolves over an impossible opponent.

His late 3-pointer put Minnesota up by one with 38 seconds to play, and the Wolves got a pair of stops to hold on for a 112-107 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center.

Minnesota couldn’t hit a free-throw to save its life Friday night at Target Center. That trend continued all the way to the finish, as Julius Randle missed the back end of a pair with 45 seconds to play. But Rudy Gobert collected his 15th rebound of the night to set up the Edwards’ winner.

Edwards finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in his return after missing three games with foot soreness. Six Wolves players scored 13-plus points, and that doesn’t include Gobert, who dominated on the interior.

The Thunder were on the second half of a back to back after playing the Clippers on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was ejected just minutes into the game after he stomped out onto the floor and screamed an endless number of expletives at the officials after what he felt was a missed call. Perhaps his tirade wasn’t in vain, as Minnesota possessed a sizable free-throw advantage throughout the affair, though the Wolves missed 14 of their 47 attempts.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Thunder.

Neither team shot the ball well, as has become the norm for these two teams in their matchups, but Minnesota won enough loose balls to give itself the edge.

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