In people with Alzheimer’s, blood flow problems in the brain, head, and body get worse as the disease gets worse, and this seems to be tied to a chemical in the blood called nitric oxide—meaning the whole body’s blood vessels might be failing together, not just the brain.

People with Alzheimer’s might have blood vessel problems for reasons other than just low nitric oxide — something else could be going on too.

People with worse Alzheimer's disease tend to have lower levels of a substance in their blood that's linked to how well blood flows in the brain and body — and the sicker they are, the lower those levels get.

People with Alzheimer's have blood vessels that don't respond as well to signals that make them open up, even after taking a supplement called nitrate—which normally helps blood flow better—compared to older healthy people and young people.

When people with Alzheimer’s disease get worse, their blood vessels don’t open up as well in response to moving their legs, and this is linked to less blood flow in their brain and body.