Dr. Axel Montagne is a chancellor's fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. His group aims to understand how, when, and where critical components of the blood-brain barrier become dysfunctional preceding dementia and in the earliest stages of age-related cognitive decline. With this knowledge, they hope to develop precise treatments targeting brain vasculature to protect brain function. More importantly his work, and that of his colleagues, provide a critical lens through which to view the contributions of vascular dysfunction (or, conversely, vascular health – if we choose to preserve it) as a critical common thread in dementia and neurodegeneration. In this episode, we discuss: 11:44 - What dementias have in common 12:42 - The importance of preserving small blood vessels (in the brain) 13:38 - Changes in the blood-brain barrier in aging that cause "leaking" 15:11 - Predicting cognitive decline early with biomarkers – an opportunity for intervention? 16:32 - Why targeting amyloid isn’t enough 18:54 - The impact of the APOE4 genotype on brain vasculature 24:19 - The cause of white matter damage in the brain 33:47 - Why the loss of omega-3 transport affects pericytes 35:25 - The role of exercise in prevention of blood-brain barrier dysfunction 35:45 - Why high heart rates during exercise preserve brain function 36:49 - The role of exercise in preserving vision health 40:17 - Why leaky vessels damage myelin and the brain 45:31 - Can you have more than one type of dementia? 47:54 - Does the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier cause “type 3 diabetes"? 54:03 - Why omega-3 may prevent detachment of pericytes 01:14:35 - Why a hepatitis drug restored cognition in APOE4 mice 01:19:39 - Why blood-brain barrier disruption results in the accumulation of amyloid-beta 01:25:14 - Why lifetime hypertension increases dementia risk 01:37:13 - Effects of obesity on blood-brain barrier leakage Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes are available by clicking here Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium Learn more about the premium podcast The Aliquot: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot