Scientists have long known about the link between disruption of the blood-brain barrier in the development of neurodegeneration, but the specific contribution of endothelial cells lining blood vessels to this mechanism has not been determined. The main problem until now has been the difficulty of isolating these cells from tissue for further study. For this reason, scientists have developed an innovative approach to enriching these cells from frozen tissue. The findings of the work are published on the website of the University of Connecticut.
The use of the new technology led to an unexpected discovery: endothelial cells from three different neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia) had fundamental similarities that distinguished them from the endothelium of healthy aging.
The key change was the depletion of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43. From previous studies, the scientists knew about the genetic link between TDP-43 and the three diagnoses under study. The caveat is that until now, observations were concentrated mainly in neurons, but now dysfunction in endothelial cells is evident.
“It’s easy to think of blood vessels as passive conduits, but our findings challenge that view. We now know that vascular changes are not collateral damage — they actively participate in disease progression,” concluded study author Omar Mustafa Fathi. Future studies will target the cardiovascular system for prevention and early detection of neurodegeneration.
Earlier, in another study, scientists obtained confirming data. It was established that poor vascular condition accelerates brain aging.