Long Term Consequences of Brain Ischemia in the Development of Alzheimer ' s Disease

Transient ischemia is the loss of blood supply to tissue followed by its restoration, leading to cell death, tissue damage, and harmful cell signaling. While the paper here is focused on connecting the significant ischemia of stroke with the later development of Alzheimer's disease, it is also the case that aging brains undergo many unnoticed, tiny ischemic events over the years. These minuscule strokes have the same root cause as large, evident strokes, meaning the rupture or blockage of a blood vessel in the brain, but much smaller vessels and surrounding volumes of tissue are involved. That damage likely adds up over time, however, contributing to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. New clinical and experimental studies indicate epidemiological and neuropathological links connecting ischemic brain neurodegeneration with the genotype and phenotype of Alzheimer's disease. Human investigations have revealed that Alzheimer's disease is a risk factor for stroke and vice versa, indicating that the same or closely related pathological mechanisms may be involved in the development of both disorders. Animal studies have also presented a synergistic link between brain ischemia and Alzheimer's disease, leading to an increased risk of cognitive decline and development of Alzheimer's disease-type dementia. The main cause of ischemic stroke in humans is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is also associated with Alzheimer's...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs