Vascular disease is an umbrella term for conditions that affect the blood vessels, including both arteries and veins. The term refers to conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and lymphedema, both of which often manifest in the limbs. It also encompasses cognitive vascular conditions, including vascular dementia, a type of cognitive decline caused by damage to the small blood vessels in the brain.
This type of dementia has not been as thoroughly studied as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is classified as the most common type of dementia. However, its effects are still far-reaching. In a paper published August 8 in the American Journal of Pathology, University of New Mexico professor Elaine Bearer outlined a new, more comprehensive model for categorizing different forms of vascular dementia. The paper could broaden the clinical understanding of dementia. It could also drive researchers toward a deeper understanding of some of its unexpected risk factors, including exposure to tiny plastics.
Vascular Disease: A Significant Risk Factor for Dementia
Conditions like hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes have been considered potential risk factors for vascular dementia. This unique type of dementia is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, resulting in the loss of brain cells. However, the medical community’s understanding of the contributing disease processes has been relatively limited. In the paper cited above, Bearer worked with donated brain tissue to identify 10 specific disease processes that contribute to vascular brain injury, compiling a thorough list of new and existing techniques to detect and treat each disease process.
Identifying Vascular Damage in the Brain
Bearer began by studying tissue from the donated brains of individuals who had died from AD, inspecting the full anatomy of the brain vasculature. She used a series of stains to highlight damaged blood vessels in the tissue, evaluating the prevalence of vascular disease in each brain. In the paper, she writes that this evidence showed that “cases [of dementia] may be afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, vascular disease, or both.” What does this mean? In the simplest terms, while further research is needed, vascular disease could be a significant contributor to AD.
The Impact of Microplastics on Vascular Health
Bearer’s paper also focuses on a potentially unexpected culprit for vascular dysfunction: microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 millimeters long) and nanoplastics (plastic particles between 1 and 1,000 nanometers across) found within the brain. These plastics are virtually ubiquitous in the environment, entering the brain via ingestion, the blood-brain barrier, and the olfactory pathway. Once inside the brain, these tiny plastics are associated with profound vascular pathology.
In a University of New Mexico press release, Bearer noted that, anecdotally, individuals with dementia tend to have more plastics in their brains. She added, “We have been flying blind. The various vascular pathologies have not been comprehensively defined, so we haven’t known what we’re treating. And we didn’t know that nano– and microplastics were in the picture, because we couldn’t see them.” By considering plastics as part of a holistic picture of vascular disease, researchers may be able to better classify and treat these dementias.
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Moving forward, Bearer recommends a thorough and methodical approach to identifying various forms of vascular dementia. In response, per the university press release, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has “raised the possibility of forming a consensus group of leading neuropathologists to work out a new classification and scoring system.” Bearer added: “Describing the pathological changes in this comprehensive way is really new.”
To study vascular disease and dementia, Scantox Neuro offers preclinical research in various transgenic mouse models in combination with several behavioral tests to evaluate dementia. The tissue of these mice can be evaluated for vascular changes by biochemical and histological methods.
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