Strategies for overcoming vascular dementia focusing on dynamic functions of cerebral small vessels.

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H02656
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurology
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Onodera Osamu 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 教授 (20303167)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 豊島 靖子 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 准教授 (20334675) ; 加藤 泰介 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 特任准教授 (30598496) ; 小山 哲秀 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 助教 (90622209) ; 野崎 洋明 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 助教 (20547567)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 脳血管障害

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Overcoming dementia is an urgent task, and vascular dementia is one of the leading causes. Recently, a cerebral small vessel is noted and is called cerebral small vessel disease. Disorders of neural activity-dependent blood supply regulatory mechanisms have been advocated as the pathological condition. However, its molecular mechanism has not been well characterized. We isolated the causative gene for hereditary cerebral small vessel disease, HTRA1, and clarified that this disease is due to an increase in tissue growth factor signal. Furthermore, we defined the molecular pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease in mice with degeneration of smooth muscle and pericytes similar to sporadic cerebrovascular disease.

Free Research Field

神経内科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

認知症の主因である脳血管性認知症の治療方法を見出すために，その機序を明らかとした点は大きい．また脳小血管病に関する研究領域を開拓し，今後の認知症治療研究への新たな方法を見出した．さらに小血管を保護するシーズを見出した．この成果により，現在，ヒトでの臨床応用を見据え，シーズの最適化を行うに至っている．