Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- The study measured the stiffness of blood vessels in middle-aged patients over time.
- Stiff blood vessels can lead to the destruction of delicate blood vessels in the brain, which can contribute to cognitive decline.
- The scans could someday become a widely used tool to identify people at high risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.
A five-minute scan could soon be used to predict the onset of dementia 10 years before the condition emerges, according to researchers at the University College London (UCL).
In a study that began in 2002, scientists used ultrasound scanners to observe blood vessels in the necks of 3,191 middle-aged men and women. The purpose was to identify blood vessels that had stiffened, which can occur as a result of aging and high blood pressure. Stiff blood vessels can pose dangers to cognition.
As the heart beats, it sends a physical pulse through all parts of the body, including toward the brain. Blood vessels in the neck that are healthy and elastic can help to diminish these physical pulses. But if these vessels become stiff over time, they can lose their protective properties and the effectively stronger pulses can begin to damage the more delicate blood vessels in the brain. This can contribute to cognitive decline.
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