Abstract

Dementia of vascular origin is a distinct variety with a heterogeneous neuropsychological profile. Very few studies have compared the behavioral dysfunction in the large vessel and small vessel vascular dementia (VaD) and studied the association between executive dysfunction and behavioral dysfunction documented in these patients, between the white matter load in small vessel disease (SVD) and the behavioral dysfunction. 76 patients having a modified Hachinski Ischemic Scale score of ≥ 4 were recruited and categorized into a small vessel and large vessel VaD. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score ≥ 4 per domain for defining clinically relevant symptoms and the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) for evaluating the severity of dementia were used. Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) were present in 66.67% of patients with SVD and 53.57% of those having large vessel disease. Apathy, euphoria, and disinhibition were more common in SVD, while appetite alterations were more common in large vessel disease. Behavioral dysfunction was also associated with executive dysfunction in both the VaD subtypes and with white matter loads in SVD. We conclude that different VaD subtypes have different behavioral profiles. This might help in understanding the underlying pathophysiology, diagnosis and thus better management of this disorder.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.