Progression in Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Pathogenesis, Neuroimaging Evaluation, and Treatment

• Published in: Cell Transplantation Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 18 - 25
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xin, Su, Jiabin, Gao, Chao, Ni, Wei, Gao, Xinjie, Li, Yuxin, Zhang, Jun, Lei, Yu, Gu, Yuxiang
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2019; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Blood flow; Cerebral blood flow; Cerebrovascular Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Cerebrovascular Disorders - drug therapy; Cerebrovascular Disorders - pathology; Cerebrovascular Disorders - therapy; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnostic imaging; Cognitive Dysfunction - drug therapy; Cognitive Dysfunction - pathology; Cognitive Dysfunction - therapy; Dementia disorders; Dementia, Vascular - diagnostic imaging; Dementia, Vascular - drug therapy; Dementia, Vascular - pathology; Dementia, Vascular - therapy; Disease Progression; Drug therapy; Hemorrhage; Humans; Ischemia; Measuring techniques; Medical imaging; Neuroimaging; Neuroimaging - methods; Neuropsychological Tests; Pathogenesis; Psychology; Rehabilitation; Reviews; Structure-function relationships; Subarachnoid hemorrhage; Vascular dementia; Vascular diseases; vascular cognitive impairment; pathogenesis; treatment; progression; neuroimaging
• ISSN: 0963-6897; 1555-3892
• DOI: 10.1177/0963689718815820

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) defines an entire spectrum of neurologic disorders from mild cognitive impairment to dementia caused by cerebral vascular disease. The pathogenesis of VCI includes ischemic factors (e.g., large vessel occlusion and small vessel dysfunction); hemorrhagic factors (e.g., intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage); and other factors (combined with Alzheimer’s disease). Clinical evaluations of VCI mainly refer to neuropsychological testing and imaging assessments, including structural and functional neuroimaging, with different advantages. At present, the main treatment for VCI focuses on neurological protection, cerebral blood flow reconstruction, and neurological rehabilitation, such as pharmacological treatment, revascularization, and cognitive training. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis, neuroimaging evaluation, and treatment of VCI.