Brain: the effect of blood supply on memory

February 16, 2020 news / Bio Valley bio on / -- good blood supply of brain contributes to the development of memory and other cognitive abilities Recently, researchers from the German Center for neurodegenerative diseases (dzne) and the University of Magdeburg published a study in the journal Brain The results show that the blood perfusion in hippocampus may play a key role in memory impairment caused by age and disease Inside the human brain there is a small structure just a few cubic centimeters in size, known as the "hippocampus", because its shape is similar to the hippocampus The hippocampus is considered to be the control center of brain memory Studies have shown that damage to the hippocampus, such as abnormal symptoms in Alzheimer's and other brain diseases, can damage memory But what role does blood supply play in this process? (image source: www Pixabay Com) in response, the researchers used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the blood supply in the hippocampus of men and women aged between 45 and 89 Participants also received neuropsychological tests to assess memory, speech comprehension and concentration Of the subjects, 27 did not show signs of brain disease The remaining 20 participants showed pathological changes of cerebral vessels, which were related to microbleeds Lead author Dr Valentina Perosa said: "in these people, we have previously diagnosed some symptoms of cerebrovascular disease." These people show a wide range of neurological abnormalities, including mild cognitive impairment "Healthy subjects usually score higher on cognitive tests than those with small vessel disease In patients with the disease, the hippocampus with at least two arteries had a higher cognitive score This may be due to better blood and oxygen supplies But it's just a guess " "Our study suggests that there is a clear link between the blood supply to the hippocampus and cognitive ability, suggesting that cerebral blood flow may be a key factor in memory decline caused by age or disease." These findings are useful for understanding the mechanism of the disease and for developing new treatments Information source: a good blood supply is good for memory original source: Valentine Perosa et al, hippocampal vague reserve associated with coherent performance and hippocampal volume, brain (2019) Doi: 10.1093/brain/awz383