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Researchers at the Institute Beckma the University of Illinois (USA) have developed a new non-invasive technique to measure the elasticity of the arteries of the brain, revealing correlations between the health of these and aging.
 

Health cerebral artery, which is at the base of the cerebrovascular system, it is essential for brain aging and prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
 

The researchers, led by Monica Fabiani and Gabriele Gratton, professors of psychology in Cognitive Neuroscience Group, measured the neural activity by recording data of optical imaging by shining the infrared light into the brain. The study analyzed data from 53 participants aged 55-87 years.
 

The first results obtained using this new technique have revealed that arterial stiffness is directly related to the activity cardiorespiratory more people are in shape, are more elastic arteries. As the arterial stiffening is a cause of reduced blood flow to the brain, arteries can lead to stiff a faster rate of cognitive decline and a greater likelihood of stroke, especially in the elderly.
 

"In particular, non-invasive optical methods can provide estimates of arterial elasticity in different regions of the brain, can give us clues about the health of the various regions of the brain," said Gratton. "For example, we found that a particular artery was stiff and caused a decrease in blood flow and loss of brain cells in a specific area, and the damage to this area is also associated with an increased risk of psychological and cognitive"
 

"This is just the beginning of what we are able to explore with this technique. We are looking at other age groups, and in future we plan to study people with different levels of stress in the long term," said Fabiani. "When people are stressed for long periods of time, such as when they have to take care of a sick parent, stress could lead to vasoconstriction and higher blood pressure, with significant consequences for the function of the arteries in the brain. We are interested to know While this may be an important factor leading to arterial stiffness "

The researchers were also able to collect information on the transit time of the pulse, or how long it takes for blood to flow through the arteries of the brain, and visualize large arteries that run along the surface of the brain.
 

"Our goal is to find more information about what causes arterial stiffness, and as the local arterial stiffness may lead to specific health problems," said Fabiani.
 

The technique and the results were published in an article published in the journal Psychophysiology. 


Source: Worldhealth
 



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