Hypertension and the Brain as an End-Organ Target

The first comprehensive overview of the effects of hypertension on the brain. The book discusses not only the relationship between hypertension and stroke, but also the much less studied relationship between hypertension and cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. It seeks to answer two important questions. First, what are the conditions under which hypertension is associated with stroke, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative disease? And second, what are the biological mechanisms by which hypertension alters brain homeostasis? By looking at the biological mechanisms of these relationships, this book provides insight to neuroscientists and neurologists regarding why anti-hypertension treatments make a big difference in the case of stroke, but have very little impact on cognitive decline and brain aging.

Dr Girouard completed her PhD in cardiovascular physiology in 2002 at the Université de Montreal under the supervision of Dr. J. de Champlain, a specialist in the field of hypertension. She then pursued two fellowships, both on the study of cerebrovascular regulation: one at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a second at the University of Vermont under the supervisions of Dr. Costantino Iadecola and Dr Mark T. Nelson, respectively. She is now Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology at the Université de Montréal and the Director of the Laboratory of Neurovascular Pharmacology. Throughout her career, Dr. Girouard received prizes including the Merck New Investigator Prize of the ‘Société Québécoise d’Hypertension Artérielle’ and the Young Investigator Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. She has been elected Fellow of the American Heart Association. She is involved in many Societies related to Hypertension and neurosciences, in particular the ‘Société Québécoise d’Hypertension Artérielle’ in which she is member of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Girouard research interests include the study of the mechanisms underlying cerebrovascular regulation in health and diseases, especially in the context of hypertension and arterial stiffness. The main objective of her research is to find therapeutical targets to protect the brain from vascular diseases. To reach this objective, she is