The conclusion belongs to a new scientific investigation

Dec 17, 2013 13:08 GMT  ·  By
Blood vessels in the brain may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's
   Blood vessels in the brain may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's

Researchers with the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), in Los Angeles, argue in a new study that issues affecting blood vessels in the brain may be responsible for triggering Alzheimer's disease, or at least some of the symptoms associated with this condition. 

Alzheimer's is a form of neurodegenerative dementia that leads to memory loss, cognitive impairment, brain damage, and eventually death. There is currently no known, effective cure against this disorder.

The new investigation was led by Berislav V. Zlokovic, MD. PhD, who holds an appointment as the director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at KSM. Funds were provided by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

In a paper published in the latest issue of the top scientific journal Nature Communications, the study group detailed their investigation on lab mice, which reveals how breakdowns in blood vessels in the rodents' brains caused or amplified problems usually associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The blood vessels in question, called pericytes, may soon become a target for new forms of therapy and diagnoses aimed at curbing the growing incidence of neurodegenerative dementia in the general public.

“This study helps show how the brain's vascular system may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease,” says Zlokoivic. He explains that patients with this condition often display signs of vascular damage, including diffuse white matter disease, ischemic strokes and hemorrhages.

Some of the most common symptoms related to Alzheimer's include beta-amyloid protein plaques, tau protein clumps, and severe, progressing neuron loss. In previous studies, researchers have determined that a genetic risk factor for this disease, called APOE4, can cause problems with blood vessel health.

“This study may provide a better understanding of the overlap between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia,” explains NINDS program director, Roderick Corriveau, PhD. Vascular dementia is the second-most widespread type of dementia in the United States today.

“Pericytes act like the gatekeepers of the blood-brain barrier. Our results suggest that damage to the vascular system may be a critical step in the development of full-blown Alzheimer's disease pathology,” Dr. Zlokovic adds, quoted by e! Science News.

The expert believes that increased amounts of the beta-amyloid protein in the brain have toxic effects on aging blood vessels in the blood-brain barrier, a structure that is supposed to filter out contaminants from the blood stream before it enters the brain.

The BBB, therefore, becomes unable to clear growing amyloid protein concentrations from the brain, a process that kills perycites, and allows even more amyloid plaques to develop. Targeting this system could potentially lead to a new cure for Alzheimer's, the team concludes.