CSU researcher getting to the root of Alzheimer’s
More than 6.2 million Americans are living with an incurable disease that devastates their brains: Alzheimer’s disease. The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s typically focuses on the pathology within the grey matter: the part of our brain that contains neurons. Therefore, grey matter pathology has been the target for developing pharmaceutical treatments for decades. Unfortunately, thus far with no success.
But a researcher from Colorado State University believes that targeting white matter – the part of the brain containing the axons – the “wiring” of our brains – may be the key to understand the disease and, ultimately, to develop a successful treatment.
Why white matter matters
Dr. Agnieszka (Aga) Burzynska, director of the CSU BRAiN lab and assistant professor of Human Development and Family Studies, has received a three-year $150,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association. She has been studying white matter in healthy aging for more than a decade.
For example, her previous work demonstrated that the brain’s white matter is particularly vulnerable to metabolic stress, inflammation or vascular dysfunction, all of which accumulate as we age and are correlated with sedentary lifestyle. She found that aerobic exercise can induce plasticity in the aging white matter, and that engaging in daily physical activity and avoiding excessive sedentariness is beneficial for white matter’s health.
“Most attempts to diagnose Alzheimer’s focus on the gray matter or the hippocampus, but research on animal models of the disease suggests that white matter deterioration may precede the changes in the grey matter,” said Dr. Burzynska. “This is why we will be studying white matter in greater detail, not only in older adults but also in middle-aged adults, which may help us understand early processes that cause some to ‘age successfully’ and others to develop dementia.”
The study
The current work will dive deeper into Dr. Burzynska’s previous findings. She will employ several cutting-edge neuroimaging methods to determine what aspects of white matter health are affected by our daily physical activity habits, raising or reducing our risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
“Given the lack of effective treatments for cognitive decline in healthy aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRDs), it is critical to identify protective lifestyle factors that help maintain brain health and cognitive function,” said the CSU researcher. “Engaging in regular physical activity and exercise, and avoiding sedentariness are independently associated with a decreased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases as well as Alzheimer’s.”
“Understanding the relationship between white matter health and physical activity may allow us to identify those at risk based on their activity profiles, possibly years or decades before the first cognitive symptoms. This can open a window for interventions and treatments at an earlier stage of the disease, before vast degeneration of the brain tissue, which is expected to be more effective”.
“The results of this study will also inform development of tailored, effective lifestyle interventions to prevent or slow cognitive decline,” she said.
Become a study participant
The CSU study is currently recruiting healthy adults between the ages of 45 and 75. The study takes place in Fort Collins and involves a 1-hour MRI scan, a set of cognitive tests, and asks the participants to wear a sensor to measure their physical activity.
“People tend to overestimate the amount of exercise they do and underestimate the amount of sitting they do,” said Dr. Burzynska, “so we cannot rely on self-reporting.”
Interested volunteers can
sign up here and they will be contacted to check their eligibility.
1 of more than 730 research projects
The Colorado State University grant is one of more than 730 projects currently being funded in 39 countries around the world with more than $250 million by the Alzheimer’s Association. The Association is the world’s leading non-profit funder of Alzheimer’s research.
Agnieszka (Aga) Burzynska earned a Ph.D. in psychology and MSc in neuroscience from International Max Planck Research Schools in Germany, and a BSc in biotechnology that she completed at the University of Perugia, Italy, and the University of Gdansk, Poland. She is an avid cyclist and cannot imagine her daily commute without the bike trail system in Fort Collins.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.™ For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.