Neurovascular unit failure as the opening chapter of dementia pathogenesis

Neurovascular dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a central feature of dementia pathogenesis in the early or even preclinical stage, rather than merely a downstream effect of amyloid-tau neurodegeneration. Based on multimodal clinical evidence showing that cerebrovascular dysregulation can precede amyloid-β accumulation, this commentary emphasizes three converging lines: (1) hippocampal blood-brain barrier breakdown as an early, potentially amyloid-/tau-independent event, (2) vascular-first/parallel two-hit frameworks linking vascular risk factors to subsequent proteinopathy, and (3) early neurovascular coupling failure and chronic hypoperfusion as upstream drivers. Integrating blood-brain barrier and hemodynamic biomarkers may facilitate earlier biological subtyping and prevention.