2022 Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship (AARF)

Arterial Stiffness and Cerebral Hemodynamics Impact on Alzheimer’s Disease.

How does blood vessel stiffness and brain blood flow impact Alzheimer’s risk?

Brandon Fico, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI - United States

Background

Blood vessels in the head and neck provide the brain with vital, oxygen-rich blood that is critical for brain  cells’ ability to function properly. Inadequate blood flow can damage and eventually damage cells anywhere in the body, but the brain is especially vulnerable. In the brain, impaired blood flow can negatively impact a person’s memory and function.

Studies have shown that with aging, there is reduced blood flow to the brain and this may increase the risk for developing Alzheimer’s or another dementia. In addition, as individuals age they also develop a stiffening of their blood vessels, known as arteries. The stiffness of arteries can affect the heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body and may change the pressure at which blood flows to the brain. Studies have shown that increased stiffness in arteries is associated with cognitive deficits. However, little is known about how age-related changes in arterial stiffness and brain blood flow dynamics impact the risk of Alzheimer’s.
 

Research Plan

Dr. Brandon Fico and colleagues will study how increased arterial stiffness and  decreased brain blood flow may be associated with a person’s risk for later life Alzheimer’s. The research team will determine how arterial stiffness impacts brain blood flow in cognitively unimpaired older and younger adults using sophisticated brain scanning techniques. The researchers will also compare measurements of arterial stiffness and brain blood flow from cognitively unimpaired adults with and without common anatomical variations of arteries that impact blood flow to the brain. They will recruit cognitively unimpaired individuals from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). Finally, Dr. Fico and colleagues will study the association between arterial stiffness, brain blood flow dynamics and markers of Alzheimer’s related brain changes as measured in blood and in the fluid that surrounds the brain and the spine.

Impact

The results of this project may elucidate how factors related to brain blood flow contribute to Alzheimer’s risk and help identify risk factors for Alzheimer’s that occur before the onset of symptoms.