A Pinch Too Much: How Salt Consumption May Influence Your Cognitive Health — Researchers have pinpointe |
A recent study conducted by Japanese researchers has revealed that the interaction of angiotensin II-AT1 and prostaglandin E2-EP1 systems, amplified by high salt intake, causes hypertension that leads to emotional and cognitive impairment, which involves changes to tau protein and other enzymes in the brain.
Defined as a deterioration of cognitive functions such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning, dementia is highly common in Japan. As it stands, there is a distinct lack of satisfaction with the treatment of this condition, given the absence of any curative drug therapy. With an ever-increasing aging population worldwide, the urgency for the development of preventive measures and therapeutic drugs for dementia is escalating.
The involvement of angiotensin II —a hormone that plays a key role in regulating blood pressure and fluid balance—and its receptor “AT1”, as well as that of the physiologically important lipid molecule prostaglandin E2 for 12 weeks and monitored their blood pressure. “The effects of HS intake on emotional/cognitive function and tau phosphorylation were also examined in two key areas of the mouse brain—the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus,” explains Prof. Mouri.
Overall, these findings suggest that angiotensin II-AT1 and prostaglandin E2-EP1 systems could be novel therapeutic targets for hypertension-induced dementia.