About this Research Topic
Our knowledge and understanding of the role that cardiovascular and cerebrovascular factors have in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has advanced significantly in recent years. Neuropathological studies have shown that AD and cerebrovascular pathology have a high rate of co-occurrence, which suggests that both pathologies may have common underlying factors. Neuroimaging studies have confirmed these findings and have also showed that cognitively unimpaired individuals often have high burdens of AD pathology and cerebrovascular lesions.
As the field of AD research has shifted its focus toward prevention, there is increasing interest in identifying vascular mechanisms as treatment targets for intervention studies and clinical trials. As a result, there is a need to address fundamental questions about the relationship between vascular factors and the pathological hallmarks of AD in pre-clinical stages. Because vascular factors can be addressed quite easily through both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, understanding their role in the pre-clinical stages of AD will allow for the use of the interventions that will significantly delay or completely prevent the onset of cognitive symptoms associated with clinical AD.
This Research Topic welcomes papers that focus on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular factors associated with AD pathology. We are seeking papers from the areas of neuroimaging, neuropathology, and epidemiology that address specific vascular mechanisms and lesions that may underlie the development of AD pathology. Original research studies that use either neuroimaging or neuropathological measures of vascular lesions and AD pathology are sought.
Potential topics could include, but are not limited to the following: correlations between vascular lesions and amyloid/tau load, genetic associations and interactions that predict vascular lesions, vascular biomarker associations with amyloid and tau load. Critical reviews and meta analyses will also be considered provided that their focus is on studies that use pre-clinical AD and cognitively unimpaired subjects.
As the field of AD research has shifted its focus toward prevention, there is increasing interest in identifying vascular mechanisms as treatment targets for intervention studies and clinical trials. As a result, there is a need to address fundamental questions about the relationship between vascular factors and the pathological hallmarks of AD in pre-clinical stages. Because vascular factors can be addressed quite easily through both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, understanding their role in the pre-clinical stages of AD will allow for the use of the interventions that will significantly delay or completely prevent the onset of cognitive symptoms associated with clinical AD.
This Research Topic welcomes papers that focus on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular factors associated with AD pathology. We are seeking papers from the areas of neuroimaging, neuropathology, and epidemiology that address specific vascular mechanisms and lesions that may underlie the development of AD pathology. Original research studies that use either neuroimaging or neuropathological measures of vascular lesions and AD pathology are sought.
Potential topics could include, but are not limited to the following: correlations between vascular lesions and amyloid/tau load, genetic associations and interactions that predict vascular lesions, vascular biomarker associations with amyloid and tau load. Critical reviews and meta analyses will also be considered provided that their focus is on studies that use pre-clinical AD and cognitively unimpaired subjects.
Keywords: amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, vascular, neuroimaging, neuropathology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
