Drs. Farzaneh Sorond and Joe Verghese were featured in a May 17th article in the Los Angeles Times about the relationship between aging vessels and blood flow to the brain that cause problems such as falling. As humans age, their propensity to make mistakes like falling and suffering related injuries rises significantly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than one third of adults over the age of 65 suffer falls each year. Scientists believe that the risk of falls is increased up to 70% by the stiffening of blood vessels caused by old age. One important function of a blood vessel is to accommodate changes in blood pressure through vasoreactivity, which is the natural dilation of blood vessels. Stiffening restricts this process, and may prevent the brain from receiving healthy amounts of oxygen and glucose. Data suggests cholesterol-lowering statins can, like the treatment of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, combat vessel stiffening. Dr. Sorond’s study measured blood flow in 420 people over the age of 65. She is also looking towards investigating the link between low vasoreactivity and white matter, the nerve fibers in the brain. Dr. Sorond is an assistant professor of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at the Harvard Medical School and received a 2008 Paul Beeson Career Development Award in Aging Research. Dr. Verghese is a professor of Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and received a 2004 Paul Beeson Career Development Award in Aging Research.
