CURE MAGA JAN26 DOUBLE PG-LINKS - Flipbook - Page 11
deeper question: what’s actually
happening inside the brain when our
blood vessels are under strain?
Dr Lucy Hiscox
Dr Lucy Hiscox explains how blood
vessels, ‘brain elasticity’ and
dementia risk could be connected
– and how understanding that
relationship could protect people
from the condition.
We all know how important it is to
keep our hearts healthy. What’s
good for the heart – like eating well,
staying active, and managing blood
pressure – is good for the brain too.
But scientists are now asking a
One clue lies in the brain’s ‘elasticity’
– its ability to stay firm and springy.
As research suggests that as we age,
the brain could lose its bounce. And
that could leave it more vulnerable to
diseases that cause dementia.
That’s where Dr Lucy Hiscox comes
in. And a bold project which aims
to uncover the earliest physical brain
changes which link blood-vessel
health to dementia risk. Thanks to
you, her team is using some of the
world’s most advanced brainscanning tools – machines that let us
effectively ‘feel’ the brain and test its
‘springiness’. Because a healthy brain
is firm and resilient, while a diseased
brain becomes soft and jelly-like,
losing shape and structure.
DID YOU KNOW?
y Two in every five people with dementia have problems linked to
blood vessels.
y Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia
after Alzheimer’s.
y What’s good for your heart is good for your brain – keeping blood
pressure and cholesterol under control can help reduce dementia risk.
y With your support, UK researchers are now using some of
the most powerful brain scanners in the world to reveal these
hidden changes.
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