A new study led by scientists at the Aging & Brain Health Alliance at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, has found that a genetic variant unique to people of African descent heightens the link between “hardening of the arteries” and Alzheimer’s Disease.
For their research, the study authors recruited a sample of 143 African Americans over the age of 60. The participants provided blood and saliva samples, had their blood pressure measured, and underwent an MRI test that measured the speed at which blood travels through their arteries. After reviewing their results, the authors found that for participants with a particular variant of the ABCA7-80 gene (which is unique to people of African descent), having less flexible blood vessels was linked to higher levels of p-tau, an abnormal brain protein that is detectable in the blood of people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
“As we age, our blood vessels can become stiffer and lose flexibility. When that happens, more pressure from each heartbeat can reach the brain’s tiny, delicate blood vessels, potentially causing damage over time,” said lead author Miray Budak, the J. Seward Johnson Postdoctoral Fellow in Aging Neuroscience at Rutgers. “This may also make it harder for the brain to receive enough oxygen and nutrients and to clear away harmful waste products.”
But notably, “demographics isn’t destiny,” according to Dr. Budak. Practices like healthy eating and daily exercise can improve vascular health, which may, in turn, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
“We hope that doctors providing care to older African Americans might use this information to give people an earlier opportunity to protect their memory and brain health by encouraging them to pursue interventions — both lifestyle changes and drugs — that help keep blood vessels flexible and healthy,” said senior author Mark Gluck, professor of neuroscience and public health at Rutgers and director of the Aging & Brain Health Alliance.
In addition to those from Rutgers, the research team included scholars from Columbia University, Thomas Jefferson University, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
