Scientists at the U.K.'s University of Oxford have found a potential dementia treatment from an unlikely source: Viagra.
Over 5 million Americans over the age of 65 live with dementia, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dementia comes in different forms and is characterized by an impaired ability to remember, think and make decisions.
Alzheimer's disease accounts for roughly 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases and is by far the most common form of the disease. But roughly 10 percent of dementia cases are linked to strokes and issues with blood flow in the brain. This form of the disease is known as vascular dementia, and diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are all known risk factors.
So what does this have to do with Viagra?
Viagra is the commercial name for a compound called sildenafil, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction by increasing blood flow to the penis. But, according to new research, it may also improve blood flow to the brain.
"This is the first trial to show that sildenafil gets into the blood vessels in the brain in people with this condition, improving blood flow and how responsive these blood vessels are," the study's first author Alastair Webb, Associate Professor at the Wolfson Centre for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia at Oxford University, said in a statement.
"These two key factors are associated with chronic damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, which is the commonest cause of vascular dementia."
In their study, published in the journal Circulation Research, Webb and colleagues found that, in a cohort of 75 patients, sildenafil, aka Viagra, increased blood flow in both large and small brain vessels.
"This demonstrates the potential of this well-tolerated, widely-available drug to prevent dementia, which needs testing in larger trials," Webb said.
The team hope to replicate their findings in larger-scale trials to explore sildenafil's potential on a broader scale.
"Professor Webb's findings are very encouraging and highlight the potential for preventing vascular dementia using existing drugs that target the underlying reduction in flow in the small blood vessels in the brain," Peter Rothwell, Founding Director of the Wolfson Centre for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia and a professor in clinical neurology at the University of Oxford, said in a statement.
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