Health Watch: UVM researchers unlock secrets of brain blood flow in cognitive health

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Researchers at the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine have made a breakthrough that could help in the effort to better understand the causes of dementia and how to stop it.

When you take a swing with a tennis racket, bring the dog for a walk, or start feeling job pressures, your blood starts to flow.

"Neurons are sending the messages, we need blood, and then they stop the messages. But there is still an increase in blood, but the idea here is that what we discovered is that there's a built-in brake system," said Osama Harraz, a professor and researcher at the Larner College of Medicine, who leads a group of students who recently published in Nature Communications the discovery of the mechanism that stops increased blood flow - a protein called Piezo1.

"Many, many diseases are associated with changes in blood flow in the brain - Alzheimer's, aging as a risk factor, vascular dementia, small vessel disease of the brain," Harraz said.

By studying reactions of the brain in mice over three years, the discovery may give researchers a hint of why blood flow deteriorates and causes illness with aging.

Mohammad Elmandy is a member of Harraz's team and is pleased to see their work is already being referenced in new studies around the world. "And also with aging, all of us will have some sort of dementia when we age," Elmandy said.

"Doing research is a lot like doing a puzzle, and I think even being able to fit a tiny bit of the puzzle to make a bigger picture for everyone in the world, makes it worth it," said Xinrui Lim, a postdoc taking part in the study.

And what's next for this group of scientists? They'll find out what the protein's effect has on a diseased brain.