Valencia researchers link cirrhosis inflammation to cognitive decline

Researchers in Valencia have identified a biological mechanism linking liver cirrhosis inflammation to cognitive decline. The study focuses on minimal hepatic encephalopathy, a neuropsychiatric complication affecting approximately 30% to 40% of cirrhosis patients. This condition causes subtle impairments in memory, attention, psychomotor speed, and fine motor functions.

The research demonstrates that extracellular vesicles in the blood of affected patients transport inflammatory signals to the brain, triggering neuroinflammation. Additionally, the study found that treatment with the drug rifaximin modifies the content of these vesicles. In experimental models, this modification prevented the vesicles from inducing neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment, suggesting the drug may exert an indirect protective effect on the brain via the bloodstream.

The study was led by the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria INCLIVA, associated with the Hospital Clínico Universitario de València and the Universitat de València, in collaboration with the Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe (CIPF).