Worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia. Although Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, in recent years it came apparent that cardiovascular risk factors often associate with cognitive impairment that over time transitions to dementia. The magnitude of cardiovascular disease worldwide increasingly calls for investigations of cognitive trajectories amongst patient populations.

Hypertension and cognitive impairment


 

As the leading cause of disease burden in the world, hypertension is the major single contributor to all-cause disability and considered one of the major modifiable risk factors for the development of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. Although changes in blood pressure have been directly linked to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, a lack of mechanistic understanding has so far hindered the development of successful treatment strategies. 

‎Zerebrales Blutgefäß mit glatten Muskelzellen (grün) und Astrozyten (rot).

Related Funding

DFG: Hypertension-related cognitive deficits and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) - pathophysiology and therapeutic significance - funding period 2017 – 2021
 

Hedlunds Stiftelse: New approaches to the treatment of hypertension-associated brain dysfunction – funding period  2019 – 2021

Related Publications

Vanherle Lotte, Matuskova Hana, Don-Doncow Nicholas, Uhl Franziska E., Meissner Anja. Improving cerebrovascular function to increase neuronal recovery in neurodegeneration associated to cardiovascular disease. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2020.00053
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Don-Doncow Nicholas, Vanherle Lotte, Zhang Yun, Meissner Anja. T-Cell accumulation in the hypertensive brain: a role for sphingosine-1-phosphate-mediated chemotaxis. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20030537
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Meissner Anja, Minnerup Jens, Soria Guadalupe, Planas Anna M. Structural and functional brain alterations in a murine model of Angiotensin II-induced hypertension. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.13905
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Dyslipidemia and cognitive impairment


 

A substantial correlation exists between chronic hypercholesterolemia that manifests in middle age and the subsequent emergence of dementia. The utilization of statins for the purpose of maintaining lipid homeostasis in order to prevent or treat dementia has been the subject of considerable debate since case studies prompted concerns regarding the potential role of statins in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment. The current lack of comprehensive understanding of the precise mechanisms of action precludes the development of efficacious strategies for the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline attributable to cardiovascular risk factors. 

‎Repräsentative Immunfluoreszenzbilder von Mikroglia aus dem Cornu ammonis (CA1) des Hippocampus, angefärbt für das ionisierte Calcium-bindende Adaptermolekül-1 (Iba-1). Adapted from Vanherle et al. eBioMedicine 2022;86: 104384. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.ebiom.2022. 104384

Related Publications

Skoug Cecilia, Erdogan Hüseyin, Vanherle Lotte, Vieira João P. P., Matthes Frank, Eliasson Lena, Meissner Anja, Duarte João M. N.. Density of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors is altered in cortical nerve-terminals of insulin-resistant Goto-Kakizaki rats and diet-induced obese mice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-023-04033-4
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Don-Doncow Nicholas, Vanherle Lotte, Matthes Frank, Petersen Sine Kragh, Matuskova Hana, Rattik Sara, Härtlova Anetta, Meissner Anja. Simvastatin therapy attenuates memory deficits that associate with brain monocyte infiltration in chronic hypercholesterolemia. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-021-00071-w
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