Study co-authored by URI professor may link faulty brain drainage systems to Alzheimer’s

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Researchers from the University of Rhode Island, working with research teams from the Yale School of Medicine and Stony Brook University, have found that malfunctioning clearance systems in the brain may cause the type of waste buildup that is often a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy, or CAA, is a condition caused by the buildup of amyloid-beta deposits within blood vessels in the brain. The condition is seen in older patients who suffer brain hemorrhages or who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Redefining Higher Education: The Strategic Imperative of a Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree

For over a century, the structure of undergraduate education has remained largely unchanged—typically requiring four…

Learn More

Working in a lab with rodents, researchers found that when cerebral amyloid angiopathy was present, the glymphatic system and lymphatic drainage were not working correctly to flush out waste.

William Van Nostrand, a neuroscience professor and co-director of the George & Anne Ryan Institute at URI, was a co-senior author on the study, which was recently published in Nature Aging.

- Advertisement -

“When these clearance systems aren’t working, it creates a vicious cycle,” Van Nostrand said. “The increasing buildup of waste leads to more trouble clearing, which leads to more buildup.”

Medical experts aren’t yet sure what causes the brain’s drainage systems to deteriorate.

“If we can find ways to preserve or increase glymphatic clearance, this could aid in preventing or decreasing accumulation of amyloid-beta and other noxious substances from the brain that contribute to CAA and Alzheimer’s disease,” Van Nostrand said.

Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.