Drug Hope for Dementia and Stroke
Scientists have uncovered a potential approach to treat one of the commonest causes of dementia and stroke in older people.
Studies with rats found the treatment can reverse changes in blood vessels in the brain associated with the condition, called cerebral small vessel disease.
Treatment also prevents damage to brain cells caused by these blood vessel changes, raising hope that it could offer a therapy for dementia.
Brain Cell Damage
Patients with SVD are diagnosed from brain scans, which detect damage to white matter – a key component of the brain’s wiring.
Until now, it was not known how changes in small blood vessels in the brain associated with SVD can cause damage to brain cells.