INTRODUCTION

Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) is a leading cause of age-related cognitive decline and is characterized by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, neurovascular unit (NVU) dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. Although cognitive symptoms are largely driven by cortical dysfunction, the molecular mechanisms underlying regional vulnerability and resilience across the brain remain poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize transcriptomic differences between the frontal cortex and cerebellum in VCID to identify region-specific pathological responses.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Post-mortem frontal cortex (FCX) and cerebellum (CER) tissue from 12 VCID cases underwent gene expression profiling using NanoString’s Human Neuroinflammatory Panel (784 genes). Differential gene expression analysis was performed using Limma, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment to identify altered biological pathways. In silico cell-type deconvolution based on established marker genes was used to estimate disease-associated shifts in cellular composition across brain regions.

CONCLUSIONS

Regional identity drives transcriptional variation in VCID

Implications

FUTURE DIRECTIONS