A new study has found that Parkinson’s disease causes progressive changes in the brain’s blood vessels, revealing a lesser-known aspect of the condition that may influence how it develops and worsens over time.
The research, carried out by a team from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) in partnership with the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney, examined post-mortem brain tissue to identify how the disease affects the vascular system.
The team analysed several regions of the brain and observed that blood vessel damage was not uniform. Some areas showed a higher accumulation of what are known as “string vessels”, remnants of capillaries that have stopped functioning, indicating a deterioration of the microvascular network. They also detected alterations in cerebral blood flow and evidence of disruption to the blood-brain barrier, which normally serves as a protective filter between the bloodstream and brain tissue.
These findings indicate that Parkinson’s involves more than the well-known loss of dopamine-producing neurons and build-up of abnormal proteins. The progressive vascular changes seen in the study suggest that blood vessel health may play a broader role in how the disease advances, potentially accelerating neurological decline in certain regions of the brain.
Researchers believe the results could help shape new therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting vascular abnormalities alongside traditional approaches. Understanding which regions experience the most damage may also help identify earlier indicators of the disease or guide interventions that could slow its progression.
The team is now expanding its work to examine whether similar patterns of vascular change occur in other neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The study has been published in the journal Brain and adds a significant new dimension to the understanding of Parkinson’s pathology.
