A weak heart can cause cardiovascular risk factors for memory through disrupted gene activity in the brain. This emerges from a new study conducted by researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. They believe that a possible cause for the increasedRisk of dementia in peoplenamely the heart problems.
In mice, a specific drug known to affect gene activity alleviated mental deficits. The experts involved see these results as possible approaches for therapies. In addition, you canPeople with cardiological problemsand especially heart failure have noticeable cognitive deficits and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Possible reasons include impaired blood supply to the brain and dysfunction of the hippocampus, which is the control center of memory, researchers say. There is currently a lack of therapies to effectively treat cognitive deficits in people with heart problems. This is mainly because it is completely unclear which defects are triggered in neurons. Now this research team was able to present findings on this topic for the first time. In memory tests, laboratory mice with heart failure performed significantly worse than healthy laboratory animals. In heart failure, the scientists also found increased cellular stress pathways and altered gene activity in neurons.
In the study, researchers found that DNA in neurons of mice with heart problems is more closely linked than in healthy animals. Various genes important for hippocampal function were therefore less active than in healthy laboratory mice, which is very similar in humans. In the current research, scientists treated mice with heart failure with a drug for age-related memory problems called vorinostat. However, this is still in a testing phase, but could enable potential therapy. Vorinostat has been shown to affect histones and therefore gene activity.This studythus provides the first clues to the molecular processes that contribute to cognitive dysfunction after heart problems. In addition, the researchers plan to further investigate these effects in order to find possible therapeutic approaches.
