A leading dementia expert has called for greater attention to be paid to vascular health. At the Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference 2015, Professor James Nicoll, professor of neuropathology at the University of Southampton, highlighted evidence linking vascular disease and dementia, outlining a number of common risk factors including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, inflammation and obesity.
By studying brain tissue from people who died with dementia, Prof Nicoll’s lab has shown that proteins known to build in the brain in Alzheimer’s, such as amyloid, also accumulate in blood vessel walls in the brain. His research has shown that when amyloid is deposited in the blood vessel walls this can damage smooth muscle cells, which are crucial for controlling blood flow distribution in the brain. The results suggest that in Alzheimer’s, this control of blood flow may be disrupted.
Prof Nicoll said: “It’s been known for some time that the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are also risk factors for vascular disease, and to fully understand those links it’s important for research to focus on changes in the blood vessels in Alzheimer’s. Research now clearly shows that as we grow older, maintaining good vascular health is key for keeping our brains healthy and helping reduce the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
