There is presently no cure for vascular dementia, nor is there a means to restore any brain cell loss that occurs prior to diagnosis.

Currently, patients are prescribed statins, aspirin, or clopidogrel to combat the condition’s underlying causes rather than the disease itself.

Amlodipine, which costs 4p a tablet, is used to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes in people with excessive blood pressure.

It works by reducing blood pressure, which makes the heart’s job of pumping blood around the body simpler.  

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, examined blood flow in the brains of mice with high blood pressure and vascular injury.

For the trials, they selected mice having similar profiles to human patients with vascular dementia.  

Amlodipine improved blood flow to more active parts of the brain in those who received it. Additionally, their arteries enlarged, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the brain regions in most need.

Additionally, the researchers identified for the first time that hypertension reduces the activity of a protein called Kir2.1.

This protein is found in the cells that lining blood arteries and promotes blood flow to the brain’s active parts.

Amlodipine was observed to restore Kir2.1 levels in mice and protect their brains from the detrimental effects of hypertension.

According to the researchers, this study could pave the way for a novel strategy to combat vascular dementia.

According to study author Dr Adam Greenstein, future medicines could target this protein in order to reverse the harm caused by high blood pressure.

He said:

“The way vascular dementia develops has remained a mystery until now, and there are currently no clinically proven treatments. 

“Patients are presenting with symptoms of vascular dementia earlier than ever before.

“And with further research we could potentially offer those patients hope to prevent the progression of this life-changing disease.”

Image Credit: Getty