Protecting the brain

The finest blood vessels run through our brain. If calcium deposits build up in these vessels, the nerve cells are no longer supplied with sufficient blood and neurodegenerative diseases can develop. Annika Keller at the University of Zurich is investigating ways of preventing this from happening.

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For Sara Koller*, a long period of uncertainty is now over. It was two years ago that she first noticed trembling in her arms and legs. This was followed by problems with her memory. Now she knows the reason: Fahr’s disease. People with this rare disease, also known as primary familial brain calcification, have deposits of calcium in the smallest blood vessels of their brain.

So far there has been no treatment addressing the causes. Too little is known about why calcium is deposited in the blood vessels. This is where Annika Keller’s project comes in. As the senior researcher at the Department of Neurosurgery at University Hospital Zurich (USZ) explains, “The neuroscientific research has so far concentrated on the nerve cells. But the brain consists of many different types of cell.” Keller and her team want to get a better understanding of the brain’s ecosystem. The blood vessels play a key role, supplying the nerve cells with oxygen and nutrients. If the flow of blood is impeded by calcification, there is a big risk that the nerve cells will no longer be able to perform their function properly and that neurogenerative disorders such as Fahr’s disease will occur. Calcification might also play a part in dementia and Parkinson’s – a hypothesis that so far has hardly been investigated.

“It’s very important to clarify the role played by calcium deposits in the blood vessels of the brain,” explains Annika Keller. Her work is supported by a grant from the Novartis Research Foundation. The aim of the project is to better understand a number of questions: What cells are involved in the calcification of the blood vessels? Can the process be halted or even reversed? In fact there is initial evidence that macrophages – the immune system’s scavenger cells – are able to break down calcification.

The research is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, it’s important for those affected to get a correct diagnosis as quickly as possible. Then targeted supportive treatments such as physical and cognitive therapies can help improve their quality of life – something that’s now benefiting Sara Koller as well.

*anonymized/symbolic image

100% financed

Novartis Forschungsstiftung – FreeNovation-Programm