Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 7, 2017
Vascular cognitive impairment: prodromal stages of ischemic vascular dementia
Ciro Ramos-Estébanez1, Ignacio Moral-Arce, Roberto Muñoz-Arrondo
1Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Internal Medicine Department, Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Bronx, NY, USA.
Background/Aims:
To describe the natural history of the prodromal stages of ischemic vascular dementia (pVaD).
Methods:
A sample of 314 inpatients with pVaD or a clini- cal diagnosis of vascular dementia (VaD; lacunar state, Binswanger's disease, pure cortical VaD, corticosubcortical and strategic infarctions) admitted to a teaching tertiary center during a 13-year period was assessed (retrospectively n = 88, prospectively n = 226). Prospective neuropsychological assessment consisted of Mini Mental State Examination, Revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Exit-25, Trail Making tests, Blessed Dementia Scale and Camdex H, Global Depression Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale tests. Univariate analysis and logistic regressions are displayed.
Results:
An unrecognized pVaD was related with a clinical onset with cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) versus symptomatic cerebrovascular events (p < 0.0001), and with being under therapy with anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents (p < 0.01). Age <85 years at diagnosis of VaD (p < 0.01) correlated with a delayed pVaD diagnosis. CIND onset was associated with a longer prodromal stage (p < 0.01), no clinical strokes during pVaD (p < 0.001), silent ischemia (p < 0.01) and Binswanger's disease (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
Vascular cognitive impairment remains an underdiagnosed, yet treatable entity. A brief neuropsychological examination and informant interviews should become standard practice in elderly populations with vascular risk factors. Small-vessel disease is a prevalent condition with a distinct natural history.
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