Both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are associated with a decrease in cerebral blood flow, which will disrupt neuronal function. I will give an overview of how these blood flow decreases occur, and then describe early effects of low blood flow and of amyloid beta production on myelinated axons. I will show that the node of Ranvier gets longer with low cerebral blood flow and with amyloid beta release, and that this is associated with myelin damage. The mechanisms of these effects will be assessed, with the aim of identifying a possible therapeutic approach for preventing disruption of the function of myelinated axons.
Microvasculature as a Key Regulator of Health and Disease in the Brain and Beyond (Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, London, UK) (2026) Proc Physiol Soc 69, SA08
Research Symposium: Blood flow changes and myelin damage as early mechanisms leading the dementia
David Attwell
1University College London United Kingdom
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