A new drug could prevent and reverse the damage caused by age-related stroke and dementia
Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (SVD), is a common cause of dementia and stroke in older people. A new study led by the University of Edinburgh may have uncovered how SVD damages brain cells, as well as a possible treatment to prevent and reverse the damage.
SVD may be the cause of up to 45 per cent of dementia cases. The vast majority of seniors are believed to show some signs of the condition. In one study, up to 95 per cent of subjects aged between 60 and 90 showed signs of SVD.
This new research examined early pathological features in SVD. It found that endothelial cell dysfunction is one of the earliest signs of degenerative disease progression. They are the cells that line the small blood vessels of the brain. In the early stages of SVD they secrete a substance that inhibits the production of myelin. This compound is essential for protecting brain cells.
Source:
https://newatlas.com/dementia-stroke-small-vessel-disease-drug-mechanism/55334/
