Bile acid synthesis, modulation, and dementia: A metabolomic, transcriptomic, and pharmacoepidemiologic study
Vijay R. Varma , Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing
¶‡ These authors share first authorship on this work.
Affiliation Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Section, Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
¶‡ These authors share first authorship on this work.
Affiliation Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America ⨯
Yang An,
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IMAGE: Investigators with the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, are searching for drug candidates that may correct the brain s metabolic abnormalities, such as cholesterol breakdown. view more
Credit: Dr. Vijay R. Varma
The blood-brain barrier is impermeable to cholesterol, yet high blood cholesterol is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer s disease and vascular dementia. However, the underlying mechanisms mediating this relationship are poorly understood. A study published in the open-access journal
PLOS Medicine by Vijay Varma and colleagues at the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, in Baltimore, Maryland, suggests that disturbances in the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids (called cholesterol catabolism) may play a role in the development of dementia.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Though obesity in midlife is linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer s disease, new research suggests that a high body mass index later in life doesn t necessarily translate to greater chances of developing the brain disease.
In the study, researchers compared data from two groups of people who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment - half whose disease progressed to Alzheimer s in 24 months and half whose condition did not worsen.
The researchers zeroed in on two risk factors: body mass index (BMI) and a cluster of genetic variants associated with higher risk for Alzheimer s disease.
Scientists map gene changes underlying brain and cognitive decline in aging eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.