Researchers examined how changes in the brain’s neurovascular unit, which consists of blood vessels connected to neurons via brain cells called astrocytes, affect the Alzheimer’s condition.
In the new study, published in the journal Brain Communications, researchers connected probes to the scalp to measure brain blood flow and electrical activity as well as an electrocardiogram and a belt wrapped around the chest to monitor heart rate and breathing.
Measuring variations in the brain’s respiration patterns could help detect Alzheimer’s disease early, according to a new study that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment.
“Alzheimer's can be hypothesised as being a result of the brain not being appropriately nourished via the blood vessels,” said biophysicist Aneta Stefanovska, a co-author of the study.
Changes in oxygen supply to the brain can contribute to the degeneration of nerve cells, leading to Alzheimer’s, the study by Lancaster University researchers says.
