CURE MAGA JAN26 DOUBLE PG-LINKS - Flipbook - Page 12
Why blood vessels matter for
dementia
When blood vessels are damaged,
less oxygen and fewer nutrients reach
our brain cells. Over time, this can lead
to problems with memory and thinking.
In some cases, people may develop
vascular dementia – the second most
common type of dementia.
But this damage is not just involved
in vascular dementia. Research is
showing that unhealthy blood vessels
can speed up other diseases too,
including Alzheimer’s, the most
common cause of the condition.
So, if we can understand this
relationship better, it follows that
we could find new ways to slow
or even stop these diseases from
causing damage.
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A unique way of looking at the brain
Dr Hiscox has access to one of only
four scanners in the world that can
detect changes in brain cells in the
most precise way. These are much
more powerful than typical hospital
machines. And with hers, Dr Hiscox
wants to find out if poor blood vessel
health affects the make-up of brain
cells, and how this might be
connected to the brain’s elasticity
and overall health.
“We know that the elasticity of the brain
is strongly related to cognitive function.
And we think that blood vessel health
and this lack of elasticity are closely
linked too,” says Dr Hiscox. “But right
now, we don’t know for certain. So by
studying it in detail with such specialist
brain scanning technology, we could
reveal crucial early signs of diseases
