Varsity leading ‘brain barrier’ research

Neuroscientists hope to find out why a protective barrier in the brain becomes leaky in people with Alzheimer’s, allowing toxic molecules to enter.

Dr Fiona McLean, from the University of Dundee, hopes her study will provide insights that could lead to treatments being developed which can slow down, stop or even reverse this happening.

Amyloid is a hallmark protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia.

Researchers think that this sets off other damaging processes, which lead to symptoms such as memory loss and confusion.

A specialised group of cells forms a barrier between the blood vessels and the nerve cells, called the “bloodbrain barrier”, which determines what gets in and what doesn’t.

In people with Alzheimer’s, this barrier deteriorates, allowing toxic substances to enter.

Dr McLean’s research will look at when and how the build-up of amyloid causes the blood-brain barrier to break down.

She has been given a £235,000 grant to carry out the pioneering study as part of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s £2 million commitment to fund 15 new research projects, launched to coincide with the start of Dementia Awareness Week.

Meanwhile, Scots with dementia, along with their carers, are being invited to join a new national advisory panel set up to help inform services for people affected.

The Scottish Government is launching an application scheme, with the expectation the new panel will be established before the end of the year.