A groundbreaking study by UCLA Health researchers has revealed a crucial mechanism in the brain\u2019s repair system that could pave the way for the first effective treatment for vascular dementia, the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vascular dementia arises when blood flow to the brain is impaired, leading to progressive damage. It often coexists with Alzheimer\u2019s disease in what\u2019s called \u201cmixed dementia.\u201d Unlike Alzheimer\u2019s, however, vascular dementia has no approved treatments that can reverse or repair the damage, which tends to spread beyond the initial injury sites over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael, a professor and chair of neurology at UCLA\u2019s David Geffen School of Medicine, led a multidisciplinary team to investigate why damage in vascular dementia grows and how it might be stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers set out to chart every molecule involved in the communication among cells near damaged brain areas, creating what they called the \u201cinteractome.\u201d This detailed map showed how cells that usually work together begin to signal abnormally, accelerating injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe reasoned that in regions where damage spreads, normal cell-to-cell interactions break down in toxic ways,\u201d Dr. Carmichael explained. \u201cIdentifying those interactions is key to finding treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One signaling system stood out: the communication between cells lining brain blood vessels and the brain\u2019s immune cells, known as microglia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In healthy brain tissue, an enzyme called CD39 and a receptor called adenosine A3 receptor (A3AR) work together to regulate inflammation. CD39 helps produce adenosine, which then binds to A3AR to tone down harmful inflammatory responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In vascular dementia, especially in aging brains, both CD39 and A3AR are significantly reduced, removing this natural brake on inflammation and making damage worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact that both disease and aging suppress this pathway suggested it plays a critical role in disease progression,\u201d said Dr. Min Tian, the study\u2019s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To see if restoring this pathway could heal the brain, the team tested a drug known as piclidenoson, which is already in clinical trials for psoriasis. In mouse models of vascular dementia, piclidenoson reactivated the CD39-A3AR system, reducing brain damage, improving myelination (the insulation of nerve fibers), and restoring both memory and motor function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe most exciting finding was that even when treatment started late, it still worked,\u201d Dr. Tian noted. \u201cThat\u2019s important because vascular dementia is often diagnosed after symptoms have progressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though these results are highly encouraging, the researchers caution that more work is needed before moving to human studies. The next steps involve refining dosing, identifying biomarkers to monitor the therapy\u2019s effects, and ensuring safety over longer periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the discovery marks a major milestone. For the first time, scientists have pinpointed a specific signaling pathway that not only explains how vascular dementia worsens but can be targeted to repair damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Carmichael emphasized that by focusing on how blood vessels and brain cells communicate, the team is addressing the disease at its roots rather than merely managing symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vascular dementia affects millions worldwide, often robbing people of memory and independence. This research suggests that a cure\u2014or at least a therapy to halt and reverse damage\u2014might be closer than ever. If future studies confirm these findings, piclidenoson or related drugs could transform how vascular dementia is treated, offering new hope to patients and families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The full study, Deconstructing the Intercellular Interactome in Vascular Dementia with Focal Ischemia for Therapeutic Applications<\/em>, is published in the journal Cell<\/em> and represents a collaborative effort across UCLA\u2019s neurology, pathology, neurobiology, physiology, and psychiatry departments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A groundbreaking study by UCLA Health researchers has revealed a crucial mechanism in the brain\u2019s repair system that could pave the way for the first effective treatment for vascular dementia, the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Understanding Vascular Dementia and Its Challenges Vascular dementia arises when blood flow to the brain is impaired, leading to progressive damage. It often coexists with Alzheimer\u2019s disease in what\u2019s called \u201cmixed dementia.\u201d Unlike Alzheimer\u2019s, however, vascular dementia has no approved treatments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-aging","category-mental-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6856,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854\/revisions\/6856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}