en
  • Deutsch - de
  • English - en
  • About
      About us
        Our Measures
          Members
            Cluster Management
               PhD & Postdoc representatives
                Scientific Advisory Board
                   International cooperation partners
                    Timeline
                       Media Kit
                        Contact
                      • News & Events
                          News
                            Events
                              In the News
                                Open Positions
                              • Research
                                  Publications
                                    Our Research Focus
                                      Technology Hubs
                                        Research Spotlight
                                          Data Management & Sharing
                                            Sustainability Initiative
                                               Code of Conduct
                                            • Science & Society
                                                For Schools & Students
                                                  Public Events
                                                    Podcasts
                                                      Videos
                                                    • Support for Diversity & Equity
                                                        Newcomer Center
                                                          Gender Equality Program
                                                            Early Career Investigator Program
                                                          1. Home
                                                          2. News & Events
                                                          3. News
                                                          4. The effect of antihypertensive drugs on small vessel disease
                                                          News | 13/11/2023 | Research Spotlight

                                                          The effect of antihypertensive drugs on small vessel disease

                                                          Results from a clinical trial show that different blood pressure medications have differential effects on the microvascular function in people with small vessel disease. The researchers found no differences for patients with sporadic small vessel disease but did find that two specific drugs resulted in improved function of cerebral blood vessels in patients diagnosed with CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy) when compared to another antihypertensive drug.
                                                           Research Spotlight: Photo of the researcher and a quote about the impact of the research

                                                          This is a summary of Kopczak A, Stringer MS, van den Brink H, Kerkhofs D, Blair GW, van Dinther M, (…) Dichgans M; TREAT-SVDs collaborators. Effect of blood pressure-lowering agents on microvascular function in people with small vessel diseases (TREAT-SVDs): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, crossover trial. The Lancet Neurology, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00293-4


                                                          The challenge

                                                          Small vessel disease is an umbrella term for conditions in which the walls of the small vessels are damaged, reducing blood flow and thus oxygen supply. It accounts for up to 30% of stroke and contributes to at least 40% of dementia cases. CADASIL is a rare hereditary form of small vessel disease.

                                                          High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for the disease and controlling blood pressure is therefore important. This is typically achieved by administering antihypertensive drugs. However, the effects of different types of antihypertensive drugs in patients who have had lacunar stroke or other manifestations of small vessel disease might differ. Comparing the effects of different drugs is important because drugs that improve vascular function at the level of cerebral microvessels might not only improve blood pressure but also positively affect the course of the disease. Therefore, we initiated a clinical trial.


                                                          Our approach

                                                          We conducted a randomized trial at five specialist centers in Europe. To account for the heterogeneity of small vessel diseases, we included people with both sporadic small vessel disease and CADASIL. We kept these two groups separated to analyze the effect of the drugs. After a two-week washout period to ensure that all traces of previous drugs were out of the system, the participants were randomly assigned to a 4-week treatment with one of the following three antihypertensive drugs: amlodipine, losartan, and atenolol. To measure the function of blood vessels, we quantified the cerebrovascular reactivity as assessed by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).


                                                          Our findings

                                                          We found no difference in the effect of the three different drug classes on cerebrovascular reactivity in patients with sporadic small vessel disease. However, we did find that the cerebrovascular reactivity in patients with CADASIL improved with both amlodipine and losartan compared with atenolol.


                                                          The implications

                                                          Our findings in patients with CADASIL highlight the need for further research on different antihypertensive drug classes in people with small vessel disease. They also highlight the importance of including patients with rare hereditary subtypes of common diseases in clinical trials.


                                                          Creating SyNergies

                                                          This research in SyNergy was led by the Dichgans team at LMU and involved collaborators from both the UK (Edinburgh and Oxford) and the Netherlands (Utrecht and Maastricht). It was funded by a grant from the European Commission and further supported by the SyNergy cluster.

                                                          Participating Universities
                                                           LMU logo in white
                                                           TUM logo in white
                                                          Partner Institutions
                                                           Logo DZNE in white
                                                          Helmholtz Munich logo in white 
                                                           Logo Max Planck Gesellschaft 

                                                          SyNergy is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) within the framework of the German Excellence Strategy (EXC 2145 SyNergy – ID 390857198). The Excellence Strategy promotes outstanding research at German universities. 

                                                          Contact

                                                          Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy)

                                                          Feodor-Lynen-Str. 17
                                                          81377 Munich
                                                          +49 (0)89 4400-46497
                                                          yaüubdSgybYcјuipxјhvfulyz mi
                                                          Login for editors
                                                          Imprint | Data-Safety
                                                          en
                                                          • Deutsch - de
                                                          • English - en

                                                          Home

                                                          • About
                                                            • About us
                                                            • Our Measures
                                                            • Members
                                                            • Cluster Management
                                                            •  PhD & Postdoc representatives
                                                            • Scientific Advisory Board
                                                            •  International cooperation partners
                                                            • Timeline
                                                            •  Media Kit
                                                            • Contact
                                                          • News & Events
                                                            • News
                                                            • Events
                                                            • In the News
                                                            • Open Positions
                                                          • Research
                                                            • Publications
                                                            • Our Research Focus
                                                            • Technology Hubs
                                                            • Research Spotlight
                                                            • Data Management & Sharing
                                                            • Sustainability Initiative
                                                            •  Code of Conduct
                                                          • Science & Society
                                                            • For Schools & Students
                                                            • Public Events
                                                            • Podcasts
                                                            • Videos
                                                          • Support for Diversity & Equity
                                                            • Newcomer Center
                                                            • Gender Equality Program
                                                            • Early Career Investigator Program