How immune brain cells and blood vessel lining affect white matter damage in vascular cognitive impairment
Official title: Altered Microglia States and Microglia-Endothelial Cell Axis in Relation to White Matter Disease Progression in VCID
Funded at University of Edinburgh · NIH-11395721 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether changes in brain immune cells (microglia) and the cells lining small blood vessels contribute to white matter damage and thinking problems in people with vascular-related cognitive decline.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Edinburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) |
| Project start | September 18, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $93,404 |
| NIH project number | 3R01NS134015-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11395721 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with vascular cognitive impairment, cerebral small vessel disease, or MRI-visible white matter changes would be the most relevant group for this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cognitive problems are caused purely by non-vascular processes without white matter or small vessel disease may not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
This research uses human brain tissue samples and animal models to study how microglia (the brain’s immune cells) interact with endothelial cells that line small blood vessels in white matter. The team will look at how reduced blood flow and blood–brain barrier breakdown change microglia 'states' and how those changes relate to white matter damage and cognitive performance. High-resolution imaging and molecular analyses will track microglia and vessel behavior in affected brain regions, and experimental manipulations will test whether shifting microglia states alters vessel function and thinking in animals. The overall aim is to map the cell-to-cell pathways that drive white matter disease in vascular cognitive impairment so future therapies can target them.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to slow or prevent white matter damage and cognitive decline by targeting microglia or small blood vessels.
How similar studies have gone: Post-mortem and animal research already link microglia and endothelial dysfunction to white matter damage, but turning those findings into effective human treatments is still largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, United Kingdom Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Horsburgh, Karen — University of Edinburgh
- Study coordinator: Horsburgh, Karen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.