Blood-Vessel Damage Studied in Alzheimer’s

Damage to small blood vessels in the brain may play a role in causing Alzheimer’s disease, a small study suggests. The study included 20 people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and 21 who did not have it. It also included 59 people who had mild cognitive impairment. People with this milder memory problem have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers looked at information from brain scans. In some people, the scans showed amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. This has long been considered a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Some people also had areas of intense white matter in the brain. These areas indicate damage in small blood vessels. People with amyloid deposits who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s had larger areas of intense white matter than normal subjects.