Vascular risk factors are risk factors for Alzheimer?s and vascular dementia, the two leading causes of dementia, and cerebrovascular disease is found in the brains of both Alzheimer?s and vascular dementia patients at autopsy. Less is known about vascular protective factors in dementia, but protective vascular factors are known to modify cardiovascular disease risk. The current proposal focuses on vascular protective factors and introduces the concept of ?vascular reserve?, which is defined by the degree of protection from cognitive decline conveyed by protective vascular factors. The research will entail study of two major protective factors: 1) endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that circulate in the blood stream to repair and maintain blood vessel integrity and function and 2) renin-angiotensin system (RAS) peptides that protect vessels from oxidative and inflammatory injury through multiple pathways. The study will examine whether these protective factors are associated with improved brain blood flow, less brain vascular disease, larger brain volumes within vulnerable regions, and better cognitive performance in older adults with vascular risk factors. If these factors protect against these risk indicators for dementia then they may open new avenues for risk assessment and targeted prevention.
The current proposal investigates markers of protection against cardiovascular disease in older adults who may be at risk for Alzheimer?s disease and dementia. Findings will have direct relevance for our understanding of Alzheimer?s disease vascular dementia and the development of methods for assessing Alzheimer?s risk and finding new treatments during an early stage when interventions may be most helpful.
| Ho, Jean K; Nation, Daniel A; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2018) Neuropsychological Profiles and Trajectories in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 24:693-702 |
| Weissberger, Gali H; Nation, Daniel A; Nguyen, Caroline P et al. (2018) Meta-analysis of cognitive ability differences by apolipoprotein e genotype in young humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 94:49-58 |
| Nation, Daniel A; Tan, Alick; Dutt, Shubir et al. (2018) Circulating Progenitor Cells Correlate with Memory, Posterior Cortical Thickness, and Hippocampal Perfusion. J Alzheimers Dis 61:91-101 |
| Nation, Daniel A (2018) Blood Pressure and Cerebral Blood Flow in Alzheimer Disease. Hypertension 72:68-69 |
| Ho, Jean K; Nation, Daniel A; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2017) Memory is preserved in older adults taking AT1 receptor blockers. Alzheimers Res Ther 9:33 |
| Bangen, Katherine J; Clark, Alexandra L; Edmonds, Emily C et al. (2017) Cerebral Blood Flow and Amyloid-? Interact to Affect Memory Performance in Cognitively Normal Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 9:181 |
| Yew, Belinda; Nation, Daniel A; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2017) Cerebrovascular resistance: effects on cognitive decline, cortical atrophy, and progression to dementia. Brain 140:1987-2001 |
| Edmonds, Emily C; Bangen, Katherine J; Delano-Wood, Lisa et al. (2016) Patterns of Cortical and Subcortical Amyloid Burden across Stages of Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 22:978-990 |
| Nation, Daniel A; Ho, Jean; Yew, Belinda et al. (2016) Older Adults Taking AT1-Receptor Blockers Exhibit Reduced Cerebral Amyloid Retention. J Alzheimers Dis 50:779-89 |
| Bangen, Katherine J; Clark, Alexandra L; Werhane, Madeline et al. (2016) Cortical Amyloid Burden Differences Across Empirically-Derived Mild Cognitive Impairment Subtypes and Interaction with APOE ?4 Genotype. J Alzheimers Dis 52:849-61 |
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