Blood Vessels Loaded with Amyloid Worsen Alzheimer's

Mounting scientific evidence shows that changes in the structure and function of cerebral blood vessels contribute to brain dysfunction underlying Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's Reading Room A team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College has discovered that amyloid peptides are harmful to the blood vessels that supply the brain with blood in Alzheimer's disease — thus accelerating cognitive decline by limiting oxygen-rich blood and nutrients. In their animal studies, the investigators reveal how amyloid-ß accumulates in blood vessels and how such accumulation and damage might be ultimately prevented. Their study, published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first to identify the role that the innate immunity receptor CD36 plays in damaging cerebral blood vessels and promoting the accumulation of amyloid deposits in these vessels, a condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room Email: Damaged Blood Vessels Loaded with Amyloid Worsen Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's DiseaseNew study shows how amyloid builds-up in brain's blood vessels offering new possible solutions to prevent cognitive decline Importantly, the study provides the rational bases for targeting CD36 to slow or reverse some of the cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease by preventing CAA. "Our findings strongly suggest that amyloid, in addition to damaging neurons, also threatens t...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Dementia Authors: Source Type: blogs