Dr. Axel Montagne is a chancellor's fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. His group aims to understand how, when, and where critical components of the blood-brain barrier become dysfunctional preceding dementia and in the earliest stages of age-related cognitive decline. With this knowledge, they hope to develop precise treatments targeting brain vasculature to protect brain function.
More importantly his work, and that of his colleagues, provide a critical lens through which to view the contributions of vascular dysfunction (or, conversely, vascular health – if we choose to preserve it) as a critical common thread in dementia and neurodegeneration.
CHAPTERS: 00:03:23 - What dementias have in common 00:04:22 - The importance of preserving small blood vessels (in the brain) 00:05:17 - Changes in the blood-brain barrier in aging that cause "leaking" 00:06:50 - Predicting cognitive decline early with biomarkers – an opportunity for intervention? 00:08:11 - Why targeting amyloid isn’t enough 00:10:34 - The impact of the APOE4 genotype on brain vasculature 00:15:58 - The cause of white matter damage in the brain 00:25:26 - Why the loss of omega-3 transport affects pericytes 00:27:04 - The role of exercise in prevention of blood-brain barrier dysfunction 00:27:25 - Why high heart rates during exercise preserve brain function 00:28:28 - The role of exercise in preserving vision health 00:31:56 - Why leaky vessels damage myelin and the brain 00:37:10 - Can you have more than one type of dementia? 00:39:34 - Does the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier cause “type 3 diabetes"? 00:45:43 - Why omega-3 may prevent detachment of pericytes 01:06:14 - Why a hepatitis drug restored cognition in APOE4 mice 01:11:19 - Why blood-brain barrier disruption results in the accumulation of amyloid-beta 01:16:54 - Why lifetime hypertension increases dementia risk 01:28:53 - Effects of obesity on blood-brain barrier leakage
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