Leaky blood vessels in a key protective structure of the brain could play a role in the development of dementia, new research from the University of Southern California finds.
Researchers at USC studied high-resolution images of the brains of 64 living subjects and found a link between leaking blood vessels in the brain’s blood barrier ““ a layer of specialized cells that protect the brain from toxins, bacteria, viruses and other threats ““ and deterioration of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that controls learning and memory that is damaged by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 5 million Americans. Currently, different types of dementia can only be confirmed by studying brain tissue after an individual’s death. Such post-mortem exams have already shown damage to vessels in the brain’s blood barrier in Alzheimer’s patients.
The findings, published Jan. 21 in Neuron, suggest that brain imaging could detect early signs of damage that lead to dementia ““ and possibly help clinicians find ways to treat or prevent that damage, said Berislav Zlokovic, the principal investigator for the study.
“This is a significant step in understanding how the vascular system affects the health of our brains,” Zlokovic said in a university news release. He is the director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “To prevent dementias, including Alzheimer’s, we may need to come up with ways to reseal the blood-brain barrier and prevent the brain from being flooded with toxic chemicals in the blood.”
Pericytes, specialized cells that help promote the growth of new blood vessels and help protect existing blood vessels, may be a target for treatment and prevention, he said.
