Nilvadipine Increases Bloodflow to Brain in Alzheimer's

Why wouldn't your doctor IMMEDIATELY put this into use for stroke?  You do want more blood flow to your stroke brain, don't you? But since I'm not medically trained, no one can listen to me.  Don't go to your doctor demanding this, that will just get their hackles up by proving their incompetency.  

And since you are quite likely to get dementia maybe you want this as a preventative. 

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018

 

Nilvadipine Increases Bloodflow to Brain in Alzheimer's

Seeking new treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, researchers found the blood pressure drug nilvadipine increased blood flow to the brain's memory and learning center among people with Alzheimer's disease without affecting other parts of the brain, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

Article continued below. This article is current, up-to-date news. The Nilvadipine research video below is from our archives...

These findings indicate that the known decrease in cerebral blood flow in patients with Alzheimer's can be reversed in some regions. However, an important question is whether this observed increase in cerebral blood flow translates to clinical benefits, the authors note.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. The risk for the disease increases with age and the causes are largely unknown. Previous research has shown that blood flow to the brain declines in early Alzheimer's disease.

Nilvadipine is a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure. Researchers sought to discover whether nilvadipine could help treat Alzheimer's disease by comparing the use of nilvadipine and a placebo among people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Researchers randomly assigned 44 participants to receive either nilvadipine or a placebo for six months. Neither researchers nor the participants knew who received the drug or the placebo that was evenly divided among the two groups. At the study's start and after six months, researchers measured blood flow to specific regions of the brain using a unique magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique.

Results showed that blood flow to the hippocampus -- the brain's memory and learning center -- increased by 20% among the nilvadipine group compared to the placebo group. Blood flow to other regions of the brain was unchanged in both groups.

"This high blood pressure treatment holds promise as it doesn't appear to decrease blood flow to the brain, which could cause more harm than benefit," said study lead author Jurgen Claassen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. "Even though no medical treatment is without risk, getting treatment for high blood pressure could be important to maintain brain health in patients with Alzheimer's disease."

Researchers note that sample sizes were too small and follow-up time too short to reliably study the effects of this cerebral blood flow increase on structural brain measures and cognitive measures.

Study participants were screened between 2013 and 2015 as part of a larger research project comparing nilvadipine to placebo among more than 500 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (average age 73, more than half female and most were Caucasian).

In that larger project, effects on cerebral blood flow were not measured. Overall, no clinical benefit was noted with use of nilvadipine. However, a subgroup of patients with only mild symptoms of disease did show benefit, in the sense of a slower decline in memory.

Previous studies have hinted that high blood pressure treatment could reduce the risk of developing dementia. The authors think that beneficial effects on brain blood flow could explain part of this effect.

The study is one of a few to use this MRI technique to probe the effects of treatment on cerebral blood flow, making additional research critical. In addition, the small number of participants of similar race and ethnicity mean that the results may not apply to other populations.

"In the future, we need to find out whether the improvement in blood flow, especially in the hippocampus, can be used as a supportive treatment to slow down progression of Alzheimer's disease, especially in earlier stages of disease," Claassen said.

REFERENCE:

• Daan L.K. de Jong, Rianne A.A. de Heus, Anne Rijpma, Rogier Donders, Marcel G.M. Olde Rikkert, Matthias Günther, Brian A. Lawlor, Matthias J.P. van Osch, Jurgen A.H.R. Claassen. Effects of Nilvadipine on Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients With Alzheimer Disease. Hypertension, 2019; DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.12892

SOURCE:

• American Heart Association

SUPPORT:

• The European Commission Framework 7 Program Health Theme funded the main study, and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and the Dutch Alzheimer Society funded this sub-study.

Blood pressure pill has potential to slow down Alzheimer’s disease

It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get your doctor and stroke hospital involved with followup research into human subjects on this. Your stroke hospital will do nothing if you don't speak up. Because your stroke hospital has done no followup for decades is the reason nothing is ever solved in stroke.  Does your stroke hospital even know that stroke survivors need this?

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018

 

Blood pressure pill has potential to slow down Alzheimer’s disease

Laura Donnelly

,

The Telegraph•June 17, 2019

Research found that those given the pills for six months saw a 20 per cent increase in circulation of blood to the hippocampus - Naeblys 

A cheap blood pressure pill could slow down Alzheimer's disease by improving flow of blood to parts of the brain linked to memory, research suggests.

Dutch research found that those given the pills for six months saw a 20 per cent increase in circulation of blood to the hippocampus.

The drug, called Nilvadipine, is among a class of calcium channel blockers, costing less than 50 pence a day, which are commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Scientists said the findings suggest that the decrease in blood flow in patients with Alzheimer’s disease could be reversed.

But they said it was too early to say if this could slow down progression of disease.

The study by Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, involved 44 participants, half of which were given nilvadipine with half given a placebo for six months.

At the study's start and after six months, researchers measured blood flow to specific regions of the brain using a unique magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique.

Study lead author Professor Jurgen Claassen, of Radboud University Medical Centre in Holland, said: "This high blood pressure treatment holds promise as it doesn't appear to decrease blood flow to the brain, which could cause more harm than benefit.

"Even though no medical treatment is without risk, getting treatment for high blood pressure could be important to maintain brain health in patients with Alzheimer's disease."

Researchers said sample sizes were too small and follow-up time too short to reliably study the effects of this cerebral blood flow increase on structural brain measures and cognitive measures.

A larger study involving more than 500 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease did not show the drug had an impact on the condition. However, those with mild symptoms of disease did have a slower decline in memory.

High blood pressure is already a known risk factor for dementia.

The condition affects 850,000 people in the UK, of which around six in ten have Alzheimer's disease.

Dr Laura Phipps, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We know high blood pressure is a risk factor for developing dementia but it’s unclear whether blood pressure-lowering drugs could improve memory and thinking in people with Alzheimer’s.

“There is strong evidence that there are things we can do to keep our brain healthy as we age. This includes keeping our blood pressure and cholesterol in check as well as not smoking, only drinking within the recommended limits, eating a balanced diet, and staying mentally and physically active.”