Researchers have long known that genetics play a role in causing the dementia of Alzheimer’s disease, but genes, it turns out, are only part of the story. What’s come to light over the last several years is the incredible complexity of the disease, which involves not only genetic factors but also the vasculature of the brain. It’s not clear, however, what goes wrong within the cells of the brain’s blood vessels, how they accumulate clumps of toxic proteins, or how that process contributes to cognitive decline. A team of researchers on Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida has received a grant of $3.5 million from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), of the National Institutes of Health, to better understand the interconnected genetic and vascular pathways involved in Alzheimer’s.