New Cause Of Mental Decline?
(From EurekAlert). "In the first study of its type in the world, a team at the University of Edinburgh found that worse mental function is linked with abnormally enlarged channels around blood vessels in the brain. ... The abnormal channels are known as enlarged perivascular spaces. Rare in young, healthy adults, they are very commonly seen in the brain scans of older people, and in conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and high blood pressure." It is an open question as to what this might mean - no mechanism is to hand to explain the link. Basic research like this is very important; we only have the one brain, and it can't be replaced. Understanding the aging brain and developing regenerative medicine that works in situ is vital.
Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-10/uoe-sfp102804.php