EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct 28, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have linked abnormally enlarged channels around blood vessels in the brain to the mental decline common in older people.

The abnormal channels are known as enlarged perivascular spaces. They are rare in young, healthy adults, but are common in older people and in those with diabetes, Parkinson's disease and high blood pressure. The enlarged spaces might indicate brain shrinkage or perhaps damage to the brain tissue around the blood vessels.

"These findings mean that we should certainly be looking more closely at enlarged perivascular spaces as a cause of dementia and other mental decline in old age," said Dr. Alasdair MacLullich, a member of the Scottish university's Geriatric Medicine Unit. "They raise the interesting possibilities that there may be substances in the blood, such as cholesterol or sugar levels, or even blood pressure itself, that may contribute to memory decline as people become older. This puts a spotlight on blood vessels, so we are now working to find out how these changes around the brain's blood vessel supply arise."

The report appears in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

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