Are structural brain changes driven by aortic atherosclerosis?

Cognitive decline and dementia have become major global health issues, affecting up to 28% of the elderly population and leading to loss of independence, a decreased quality of life, and high morbidity and mortality [1,2]. However, there is a lack of therapeutic interventions, since the pathophysiologic mechanisms that lead to cognitive decline and dementia are largely unknown. A greater understanding of the processes underlying normal and pathological brain aging is needed to develop such therapeutic interventions.