Scientists Link Vascular Disease and โขMicroplastics to โคDementia inโ Landmark Study
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – August 8, 2025 – Aโข new study published today in Theโฃ Americanโค journal of Pathology reveals a significant and often overlooked roleโข of โvascular โdisease and the โpresence of nano- and microplastics in the growth of dementia,โค potentially impacting diagnosisโ and treatment strategies for millions. Researchers at the University ofโค New Mexico (UNM) have found widespread evidence of damage to small blood vessels inโฃ the brains of dementia โฃpatients, including those previously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Led by Elaine L. Bearer, the research team meticulously examined brain tissue donated by New Mexicans who had died โwith dementia, utilizing specialized microscopy and staining techniques to identifyโข vascularโค damage. The findings suggest that vascular disease โmay contribute โขto dementia in as many as half of Alzheimer’s cases inโฃ New Mexico.
“We suspect that inโค New Mexico maybe a halfโฃ of โฃour Alzheimer’s people also have vascular disease,”โฃ Bearer stated.
The study isn’t solely focused on vascular contributions. Bearer’s โขteam also uncovered โคa concerning correlation between the presenceโ of nano- and microplastics inโฃ the brain and the severity of dementia. higher quantities ofโ these plastics were associated with increased inflammation.
“Nanoplastics in the brain represent a โnew player on the field of โbrain pathology,” Bearer explained. “All our current thinkingโฃ about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias needs toโข be revised in light of this discovery.” โShe noted that demented individuals showedโ significantly more plastic presence inโ their brains compared to those without cognitive impairment, and that the amount appeared to correlate with theโข type and degree of dementia.
This research builds upon years of collaboration with Gary Rosenberg, MD, professor of Neurology and director of the UNM Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). The ADRC recentlyโฃ secured a โfive-year, $21.7 million grant fromโฃ the Nationalโฃ Institutes of Health (NIH) โคin 2024, which supported Bearer’s work. Rosenberg has โคlong emphasized the connection betweenโ vascular disease and dementia symptoms.
Bearer believes a more systematic approachโข to identifying and classifying โdifferent forms of vascular dementia โขisโ crucial for improving โฃdiagnosticโค accuracy โขand accelerating the development of effective treatments. The NIH is considering forming a consensus group โขof leading neuropathologists toโ establish a new classification and scoring system for these conditions.
“Describing the pathological changes in this comprehensive wayโ is really new,” Bearer said. “What I’m hoping will come out of this paper is โขworking with other neuropathology โADRC cores across the country to โdevelop consensus guidelines for classifying โฃvascular changes and the impact of nano-โฃ and microplastics on the brain.”
The study, titled “Exploring Vascular Contributions to โCognitive impairment,” is available in The American Journal ofโ pathology (DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2025.07.007).
