Brain study to offer insights into causes of stroke and dementia
Feb 2016: A new European network of scientists and clinicians will investigate the causes of stroke and dementia.
The new research aims to shed light on how diseases in small blood vessels – known as SVDs – can cause brain damage. SVDs account for more than 20% of strokes and up to 40% of dementia cases.
The researchers have been awarded a €6M grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The project brings together partners from ten universities in Europe and the US, including the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Munich and Copenhagen.
The aim of the five-year project is to identify how faults in these small vessels can cause brain damage that leads to stroke or dementia, and explore new therapeutic approaches.
The project will benefit from a new research MRIscanner and a MR-PET scanner, which will be available in Edinburgh later this year.
The small vessels are vital for supplying the brain with oxygen and sugar so that it can work properly. Many people have damage in the small vessels in the brain - if we can understand better what causes the damage and how to stop or even fix it, then we expect people to be able to live actively for longer and to stop many cases of dementia and stroke.
The network will also work with the patient organisation Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE, Belgium), and GABO:mi, a German company for project management.
Related links
Brain vascular disease research in the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
Professor Joanna Wardlaw Principal Investigator profile