Lund, Feb. 15 -- A study reveals that traumatic brain injury alters the small vessels in the brain, resulting in an accumulation of amyloid beta -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The findings suggest that vascular dysfunction could be an early driver in neurodegenerative disorders rather than being caused by neuronal damage.

A research team at the strategic research area MultiPark, Lund University, argues that the blood vessels in the brain hold the keys to future therapies. Brain trauma usually impairs cerebral blood flow, possibly through pathological changes in the vascular smooth muscle cells in the vascular wall.

Niklas Marklund, professor at Lund University and neurosurgical consultant at Skane University Hospital, took a deep...