Keele University study to investigate brain disorder treatment

Scientists will investigate possible new treatments for a brain disorder

Possible new treatments for a brain disorder will be investigated by scientists in Staffordshire after they were awarded £108,000 funding.

The Keele University study will aim to help people with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).

The disorder is caused by a lack of oxygen and damage to brain cells.

Funding has come from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Dr Ruoli Chen, leading the study, said the work could have a "significant impact".

"The study will bring valuable new insights to the research in vascular biology," he said.

Symptoms of VCI range from forgetfulness to more serious ones around attention, memory and language with the most serious form called vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia is estimated to affect about 150,000 people in the UK according to the NHS.

When blood supply and oxygen are reduced to the brain, a protein builds up to help cells survive and the Keele University said researches would study its role in the development of VCI.

Prof James Leiper, from the BHF, said he hoped the research could ultimately contribute to the first treatments in this area.

"While we suspect that reduced blood flow leads to the brain becoming injured, we don't fully understand how this happens and we don't have any treatments that can stop it," he added.

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