Grant: Project Grant

Blood flow in the brain decreases with age and this may cause declining cognitive processes (memory loss, etc.) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Blood vessel cells known as pericytes precisely regulate the blood supply across space and time. Abnormal pericytes may account for blood flow changes during aging and AD, but there is still much we do not know about these cells. My work uses advanced fluorescence microscopes and genetic tools to observe pericytes and blood flow in intact animal models. We will use a unique approach to follow the same pericytes and blood vessels through adulthood to old age and compare this to a mouse model of AD. Our objective is to understand how pericyte signaling changes with age or during AD and how this affects nearby blood flow. This is important because the more we understand about aging and AD, the better we can develop new treatments for our aging population.