Squeezing Blood Vessels May Lead to Alzheimer's Cognitive Decline

A study published in Science suggests the constriction of cells surrounding blood vessels may reduce blood flow to the brain, which is already associated with Alzheimer's, reports United Press International . "Our research generates new leads for possible treatments in the early phase of the disease," said University College London's (UCL) Ross Nortley. The team focused on capillaries in human brain tissue affected by Alzheimer's and in mice engineered for the disease. They added amyloid beta to healthy brain tissues, which apparently resulted in capillary constriction. This constriction was enough to halve blood flow, resembling less flow in other brain regions affected by Alzheimer's. "In clinical trials, drugs that clear amyloid beta from the brain have not succeeded in slowing mental decline at a relatively late phase of the disease," noted UCL's David Attwell. "We now have a new avenue for therapies intervening at an earlier stage."