Potential Treatment for Vascular Dementia

Key Points:

• Vascular Dementia happens when damage reduces blood flow in the brain
• Improved brain blood flow in mice points way to future research

Successful Treatment of Mice with Vascular Dementia

Scientists at the University of Vermont successfully treated mice with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia through improving blood flow in the brain. This important breakthrough could lead to future dementia treatment and prevention in humans. 

At the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, researchers introduced a fatty acid into the brains of mice with damaged brain blood flow. Giving them phospholipid PIP2 restored functional circulation in their brains. While more research is needed, this discovery validates the possibility that introducing this substance into the circulatory system of someone with Vascular Dementia could improve blood flow, restore brain health, and ease or even reverse symptoms. 

Study author and professor Osama Harraz, PhD is hopeful a therapy like this could effectively work in humans. “This discovery is a huge step forward in our efforts to prevent dementia and neurovascular diseases. We are uncovering the complex mechanisms of these devastating conditions, and now we can begin to think about how to translate this biology into therapies,” he says.

Discovering exactly how this phospholipid binds to and changes structures is a future goal, along with understanding the opposite: what mechanisms reduce blood flow when this fatty acid is deficient. 

Phospholipids are important fats in the brain and nervous system. They help form the walls of cells and are crucial for healthy brain function. Phospholipids decline with age. It is thought that a diet rich in phospholipids helps cognitive function and protects the brain against stress.

What is Vascular Dementia?

Vascular Dementia is a dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. Stroke is a major risk factor for it. Small strokes (also called ischemic or TIA) are also a common cause.

Vascular Dementia can occur along with Alzheimer’s although it is a disease of its own. It is rare to find Vascular Dementia in people under the age of 65. 

The mice in the University of Vermont study had Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, a condition in which small blood vessels in the brain are damaged. Without proper blood flow, these tiny veins and capillaries cannot carry electrical communication. 

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD) is another cause of vascular dementia. Small blood vessels can narrow or become blocked due to injury, inflammation, and plaque buildup or thickening of vessel walls. 

Managing blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cholesterol, and kidney disease and avoiding smoking can help prevent CSVD, but some factors appear to be genetic. Medications that prevent stroke can prevent vascular brain damage.

What are Symptoms of Vascular Dementia?

Onset of vascular dementia can be fast or gradual. 

Symptoms include disorientation, confusion, mental slowness, trouble making plans, concentrating, and understanding, difficulty with walking and balance. A person with it may exhibit hallucinations, delusions, and poor judgment. Vascular dementia can occur with Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms for both are similar.   

To Participate in Studies of Vascular Dementia

For anyone diagnosed with a form of dementia interested in participating in a study, visit alzheimers.gov.