For Elderly, Stiff Arteries Linked to Alzheimer’s-reminiscent Plaques in the Brain

Senior citizens who have a hardening of their arteries may also have beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. A study published in Neurology reveals this finding, which contributes to evidence that heart health and brain health are linked. The study assessed the brain scans of 91 participants who had an average age of 87. Stiffness in the participants arteries was measured two years later, and half of the participants were found to have beta-amyloid plaques. Stiff arteries appeared more frequently in those who had both amyloid plaques and white matter hyperintensities in the brain.

“These two conditions may be a ‘double-hit’ that contributes to the development of dementia,” says the study’s author. “Compared to people who had low amounts of amyloid plaques and brain lesions, each unit of increase in arterial stiffness was associated with a two- to four-fold increase in the odds of having both amyloid plaques and a high amount of brain lesions.” Click here to read more about the study.