Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
04:29
A Visual Approach for Inducing Dolichoectasia in Mice to Model Large Vessel-Mediated Cerebrovascular Dysfunction
Published on: May 17, 2024
Where vascular meets neurodegenerative disease
Julie A Schneider1, David A Bennett
1Department of Pathology and Neurological Sciences, Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Armour Academic Center, 600 S Paulina St, Suite 1022F, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. julie_a_schneider@rush.edu
Stroke
|September 30, 2010
Summary
Vascular and Alzheimer's disease often coexist in older adults. Autopsy studies reveal that brain infarcts and vascular issues are common, contributing to cognitive decline and memory loss.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Gerontology
- Pathology
Background:
- Vascular and neurodegenerative diseases frequently co-occur in aging populations.
- Distinguishing between clinical Alzheimer's disease and vascular contributions to cognitive impairment can be challenging.
- Mixed pathologies are common in dementia in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review findings on the interplay between vascular pathology and cognitive impairment in older persons.
- To investigate the association between macroscopic infarcts, Alzheimer's disease pathology, and cognitive status.
- To explore how vascular pathology may contribute to or be difficult to differentiate from Alzheimer's disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of findings from longitudinal aging studies (Rush Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project).
- Enrollment of subjects without diagnosed dementia.
- Annual clinical evaluations and post-mortem autopsies.
Main Results:
- Macroscopic infarcts are prevalent and lower the threshold for cognitive impairment.
- Vascular pathology frequently coexists with Alzheimer's disease pathology.
- Vascular pathology is associated with memory impairment and can mimic clinical Alzheimer's disease.
Conclusions:
- Dementia in older adults often results from mixed pathologies (vascular and Alzheimer's).
- Clinical presentations of dementia can overlap due to mixed pathologies.
- Some risk factors may increase Alzheimer's disease risk by exacerbating vascular pathology.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Dementia l: Introduction
Dementia is an acquired, progressive syndrome characterized by a decline in multiple cognitive domains severe enough to impair daily functioning and reduce independence. Although memory loss is a central feature, the diagnosis requires additional deficits involving language, executive function, visuospatial skills, judgment, calculation, or abstract reasoning. These cognitive impairments reflect underlying neurodegenerative or vascular processes that gradually disrupt neuronal networks...
01:23Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer disease involves structural changes in the brain that begin long before symptoms appear. The most distinctive features are extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.Neuritic plaques form in the cerebral cortex and around blood vessels. These plaques contain a dense core of beta-amyloid (Aβ)—a toxic protein fragment that clumps outside neurons. The core is surrounded by damaged neuronal extensions, as well as reactive astrocytes and microglia. Abnormal...
01:29Hemorrhagic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
A hemorrhagic stroke develops when a cerebral blood vessel ruptures, allowing blood to escape into the surrounding brain tissue, as in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), or into the subarachnoid space, as in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Because the skull is a rigid compartment, the sudden presence of extravascular blood rapidly increases intracranial pressure and compresses adjacent neural structures, leading to immediate tissue injury and impaired cerebral perfusion.Mass Effect and Primary...
01:15Ischemic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
An ischemic stroke occurs when a cerebral blood vessel becomes obstructed, most often by a thrombus or embolus, interrupting the delivery of oxygen and glucose to brain tissue. Because neurons rely on continuous aerobic metabolism, energy failure begins within minutes of reduced perfusion. The region receiving the least blood flow becomes the infarct core, an area of irreversible cellular death. Surrounding this core lies the penumbra, a zone of hypoperfused but still viable tissue that is...
01:22Cerebral Edema ll: Pathophysiology
Vasogenic edema is a major form of cerebral edema characterized by abnormal accumulation of fluid in the brain’s extracellular space due to disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The BBB is a specialized structure composed of endothelial cells connected by tight junctions, supported by astrocytic endfeet and a basement membrane. Under normal conditions, it tightly regulates the movement of ions, proteins, and solutes between the bloodstream and brain parenchyma. When this barrier loses...
01:26Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a continually advancing neurodegenerative disorder, distinguished by escalating memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia. The disease unfolds in three stages: preclinical, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. Its onset is insidious, and the progression gradual, with the cause not well explained by other disorders.
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...