Permeability of the blood-brain barrier in Alzheimer’s disease v1,0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Blood-brain barrier permeability, inflammation, and clinical progression in Alzheimer's disease
IRAS ID
330286
Contact name
Jay Amin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The causes of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are poorly understood. Infections can cause symptoms to worsen for people with AD. Infections activate the immune system in the blood, a process called inflammation. Inflammation can send signals to the brain that cause damage to nerve cells, leading to worsening memory. How this signal enters the brain could explain why some people with AD decline faster than others.
The blood-brain barrier is a lining around the blood vessels in the brain. It is an important structure that protects the brain from inflammation in the blood. However, several studies have shown that the blood-brain barrier may be leakier in people with AD.
Using a brain scan technique we can measure how leaky the blood-brain barrier is. We do this by measuring the movement of an injected dye from the blood into the brain. Our team will recruit 50 people with AD and 20 people without dementia into a research study. Participants will have blood and urine tests to measure their levels of inflammation. We will explore how leaky the blood-brain barrier is in people with AD. We will also study how blood-brain barrier leakiness and inflammation contribute to how quickly people with AD decline over two years.
This research will improve our understanding of the factors that cause worsening symptoms for people with AD. It will also help to identify whether our brain scan could predict those people with AD whose symptoms may decline faster.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0308
Date of REC Opinion
13 Nov 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion