New Delhi, Oct 31 (NationPress) Older individuals experiencing significant fluctuations in their blood pressure may face an increased risk of brain atrophy and nerve cell damage, according to a recent study.

This research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, indicates that short-term "dynamic instability" in blood pressure—moment-to-moment variations observed over mere minutes—correlates with the loss of brain tissue in areas essential for memory and cognition, as well as with blood biomarkers indicative of nerve cell injury.

“Our research reveals that even when average blood pressure remains within normal limits, instability between heartbeats may exert pressure on the brain,” stated Daniel Nation, affiliated with the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

“These momentary fluctuations seem to correspond with the same types of brain alterations observed in early stages of neurodegeneration,” added the Professor of Gerontology and Medicine.

While elevated average blood pressure has long been recognized as a risk factor for dementia, this study emphasizes blood pressure variability, or the extent to which blood pressure increases and decreases over brief periods.

Recent findings suggest that such fluctuations can compromise small blood vessels in the brain, hampering their ability to maintain consistent blood flow.

In their investigation, the researchers employed two complementary metrics: Average Real Variability (ARV) and Arterial Stiffness Index (ASI).

ARV measures how much systolic blood pressure (the upper figure in a blood pressure reading) varies between each heartbeat, while ASI indicates how pliable or rigid the arteries are in response to these pressure changes.

Together, these metrics illustrate the extent to which blood flow fluctuates over a short time frame, which the researchers term "blood pressure dynamic instability."

"This study implies that excessive fluctuations could signify vascular aging that contributes to brain damage,” Nation elaborated.

The team performed MRI scans on 105 community-residing older adults aged between 55 and 89, who were generally healthy and free from significant neurological disorders.

Participants exhibiting both high ARV and high ASI showed reduced volumes in the hippocampal and entorhinal cortex regions—critical areas for learning and memory that are typically the first to be impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

Blood tests revealed that these same individuals had elevated levels of neurofilament light (NfL), a blood marker that increases when nerve cells sustain damage.

The implications of these findings shed light on how cardiovascular fluctuations may contribute to cognitive decline and could pave the way for innovative preventive measures.