Common Cause of Dementia May Be Treatable

A study published in Science Translational Medicine revealed the role that cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) plays in dementia and stroke, reports Medical News Today . By analyzing the molecular features of CSVD in rats, the researchers identified a mechanism through which blood vessel changes from CSVD damage the myelin covering of nerve fibers that carry signals between neurons. They also discovered that certain drugs could reverse the blood vessel changes and prevent harm to those nerve fibers. The team learned that CSVD causes dysfunction of endothelial cells, which form the inner lining of blood vessels, and that this dysfunction prevents precursor cells from evolving into cells that comprise the myelin covering. The rats that developed CSVD had a mutated form of an enzyme called ATPase, which triggered the endothelial cell dysfunction and has been found in the brain tissue of humans with CSVD. Experiments demonstrated that using drugs to stabilize the endothelial cells "could reverse the white matter abnormalities in early-stage SVD in the rat model, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach." Alzheimer's Research UK's Dr. Sara Imarisio says the study's findings could point to "a promising direction for research into treatments that could limit the damaging effects of blood vessel changes and help to keep nerve cells functioning for longer."