Scarred blood vessels may be one clue to APOE4’s Alzheimer’s risk

Science News reports that an analysis of human brain blood vessels found fewer stabilizing pericytes and more scar-producing cells in people with two copies of APOE4. In lab-grown brain tissue, pericytes began taking on scar-producing traits; preventing the cells from producing fibronectin reduced amyloid buildup. The findings suggest one possible way the gene variant raises Alzheimer’s risk.