1d (edited) • General discussion
Brain blood flow drops decades before Alzheimer's symptoms. New study found the missing molecule. Restoring it fixed circulation.
University of Vermont just published a vascular dementia breakthrough.
Identified why brain blood flow fails in dementia. And how to potentially fix it.
The problem:
Reduced cerebral blood flow is a major contributor to dementia.
Especially vascular dementia and Alzheimer's.
Brain tissue needs constant blood supply.
When circulation drops, cells die. Cognitive function declines.
What they discovered:
A lipid molecule called PIP2 normally keeps blood vessel channels regulated.
Controls Piezo1 channels in endothelium.
When PIP2 is present: channels work normally, blood flow is healthy.
When PIP2 decreases: Piezo1 channels become overactive, vessels constrict, blood flow drops.
In dementia: PIP2 levels dramatically reduced.
The experiment:
Restored PIP2 in animal models with vascular problems.
Blood flow normalized. Vessel function improved.
Gives us specific molecular target. New drug development pathway.
Why vascular health matters:
Vascular dementia: 15-20% of all dementia
Mixed dementia (Alzheimer's + vascular): another 20-30%
Nearly half of dementia has vascular component.
Even "pure" Alzheimer's: vascular health influences progression.
Better blood flow = better amyloid clearance.
The heart-brain connection:
What's good for your heart is good for your brain.
Hypertension damages cerebral blood vessels.
Atherosclerosis reduces blood flow.
Diabetes impairs vascular function.
High cholesterol affects brain circulation.
All midlife cardiovascular risk factors = later dementia risk.
Managing vascular risk in midlife:
- Control blood pressure (target <130/80)
- LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dL
- Prevent or manage diabetes (A1c <5.7%)
- Maintain healthy weight
- Don't smoke
- Exercise regularly
- Mediterranean diet
These aren't just heart disease prevention. They're dementia prevention.
The timeline:
Vascular damage accumulates over decades. Silent at first.
Small vessel disease. Microinfarcts. White matter changes. Reduced perfusion.
By age 70: damage is extensive if risk factors uncontrolled.
Too late to fully reverse.
The window for intervention:
Start managing vascular risk in your 40s.
30 years of protection versus 30 years of silent damage.
The missed opportunity - Millions in their 40s-50s with:
↳ Untreated borderline high blood pressure
↳ Uncontrolled cholesterol
↳ Undiagnosed sleep apnea
↳ Sedentary lifestyles
By the time they're older, brain damage is done.
The vascular-inflammatory connection:
Damaged blood vessels trigger chronic inflammation.
Inflammation accelerates Alzheimer's pathology.
Creating vicious cycle.
We already have the keys to vascular brain protection.
We just need to use them.
💬 Do you know your blood pressure and cholesterol?
Citations:
Hashad AM et al. PIP₂ corrects an endothelial Piezo1 channelopathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025.
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Brain blood flow drops decades before Alzheimer's symptoms. New study found the missing molecule. Restoring it fixed circulation.
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