Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Abstract: The term vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is now employed to capture the spectrum of illness and disability arising from impaired cognitive function of vascular origin. As such, it supplants the more narrowly focussed terms “Vascular dementia (VaD)” and “multi‐infarct dementia”. It is meant to include both those whose cognitive impairment is different from that assumed by the usual criteria for dementia. Traditionally, dementia criteria have been modelled on AD, a disorder with more characteristic neuropathological and clinical disease expression than is seen in VaD, which can occur in many forms. VCI is common, and is associated with many adverse outcomes, including worse cognition, institutionalization, and death.One form of VCI is coincident AD and VaD, a category which, although it has been comparatively neglected, may be amongst the most common forms of dementia. Another common form of VCI has a predilection for subcortical ischemic lesions, and for a clinical presentation which reflects frontal and subcortical involvement.At present, there is no specific treatment for VCI, although several agents appear to offer the hope of both treatment and prevention. Further research on the clinical, pathological and mechanistic underpinnings of this important syndrome is needed. For a long time, VaD has been recognized as the second most common cause of dementia.1,2) More recently, however, the concept of cognitive impairment in relation to cerebrovascular disease has been expanded. This paper will review the notion of “vascular cognitive impairment” (VCI) as it relates to clinical practice, and to our understanding of disease mechanisms in dementia and related disorders. It will propose that while the expanded concept has merit, within it are to be found distinct subgroups, including some of particular importance as targets for clinical trials of therapeutic and even preventive interventions.