A new study has revealed that Alzheimer’s disease breaks apart nerves and blood vessels in fat tissue throughout the body. The finding could help explain the disease’s ravages beyond mental impairment and offers hope for better patient care.
Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) often suffer from other ailments. In a review of scientific literature, one study found that those with the condition were more likely to suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular disease than controls, estimating that 30-74% of people with AD also have hypertension, 6-24% have diabetes, and 3-14% suffer from stroke.
Now, new research out of the Houston Methodist academic medical center may have figured out why that is.
In healthy adipose – or fatty – tissue, sympathetic nerves align closely with blood vessels, forming bundles. Sympathetic nerves are those involved in the body’s flight or fight response and are responsible for – among other things – adjusting heart rate and redirecting blood flow to muscles.
By observing body fat tissue in mice using three-dimensional imaging, the researchers found that AD splits these neurovascular bundles apart and disrupts, or abrogates, the function of the sympathetic nerves. This, in turn, impairs metabolism of fat stores, which impacts the way in which the body manages its energy and can worsen heart and metabolic conditions like diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
Houston Methodist
“By disrupting the connection between the nervous system and fat tissue, the disease may impair the body’s ability to manage energy,” said study co-author Li Yang.
“These insights open new avenues for research into how treating or preventing autonomic dysfunction might improve overall health outcomes for people with Alzheimer’s,” said co-authors Stephen Wong and Jianting Sheng.
A brief summary of the current research along with video footage showing the destruction of the neurovascular bundles has been published in the Journal of Lipid Research.
Source: Houston Methodist
