BACE1 and cardiovascular disorder: However, while elevated Aβ levels may facilitate positive feedback loop whereby increased Aβ facilitates enhanced BACE1 activity and auto-potentiates its own production, there is accumulating data which links several well-established AD risk factors (cardiovascular diseases, stroke, ischemia and TBI), and their associated molecular changes (hypoperfusion, hypoxia, metabolic dysfunction, energy inhibition and oxidative stress), with increases in BACE1.