Vascular dementia is a generic term used to describe memory loss due to problems with the blood flow to the brain. More specific conditions that can be included under this umbrella include:
- Narrowing of the blood vessels (arteriosclerosis)
- Ischemic stroke - memory loss can result from a large stroke or from multiple small strokes. These small, sometimes unnoticed strokes are often called transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. When small strokes cause cumulative damage over time, doctors may say you have multi-infarct dementia.
- Hemorrhagic stroke - when blood vessels are damaged and leak blood into your brain. Hemorrhagic strokes can be caused by high blood pressure or by cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), a disease in which abnormal protein deposits cause blood vessel walls to harden and crack.
- Binswanger’s disease (when damage is in small blood vessels deep in the brain)
- CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Sub-cortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy), a rare type of stroke disorder.
Learn More:
Tangled Neuron Posts:
Cholesterol, Statins and Alzheimer’s, Part 2 of 3
Q & A With Dr. Tiia Ngandu: The Dementia Risk Score
Dementia Paranoia and the Dementia Risk Score
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and Alzheimer’s: Evil Twins?
CAA, Microbleeds and Dementia: An Update
Do cerebral emboli cause Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia?
CADASIL: Young Onset Dementia Caused by a Stroke Disorder
Other Resources:
Alzheimer’s Society booklet “Understanding Vascular Dementia”
Helpguide.org Information on Vascular Dementia
U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute information on Atherosclerosis
U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Stroke Information Page
Information on types of stroke from The American Stroke Association
Information on Binswanger’s Disease from the U.S. National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke
