High blood pressure (hypertension) has long been known to increase the risk of cognitive disorders by 1.2 to 1.5 times, but why has been a mystery, especially since many blood pressure medications don't seem to protect the brain.
New research from Weill Cornell Medicine, published in Neuron, offers a startling answer: the disease process of hypertension attacks the brain's infrastructure very early on, independently of the pressure itself.
The study on mice showed that just three days after initiating the condition, and before blood pressure levels actually rose, essential brain cells and the vessels they rely on were already breaking down:
- Vessels Age Quickly: The cells lining the brain's blood vessels began showing signs of premature aging and a weakened "blood-brain barrier," which protects the brain from harmful molecules.
- Signaling Goes Awry: Key brain cells (interneurons) involved in signaling were damaged, creating an imbalance similar to that seen in Alzheimer's disease.
- Nerve Insulation Fails: Cells responsible for maintaining the protective insulation (myelin) around nerve fibers were compromised, threatening the brain's ability to communicate.
Senior author Dr. Costantino Iadecola stated, “The bottom line is something beyond the dysregulation of blood pressure is involved.”
The good news is that the common anti-hypertensive drug losartan was found to reverse these early effects in the model. Researchers are now focused on understanding how the initial vessel aging triggers the subsequent brain cell defects, aiming to develop new ways to block or reverse the devastating cognitive consequences of hypertension.
0 Comments