Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 9, 2026

A Thrombotic Stroke Model Based On Transient Cerebral Hypoxia-ischemia
06:01

A Thrombotic Stroke Model Based On Transient Cerebral Hypoxia-ischemia

Published on: August 18, 2015

Pathology and pathophysiology of cerebrovascular dementia: pure subgroups of obstructive and hypoperfusive etiology

A Brun1

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Lund, Sweden.

Dementia (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Vascular dementia, often caused by vessel disease or hypoperfusion, is more common than thought. Incomplete brain infarction is a key, under-recognized cause of cognitive decline in vascular dementia.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pathology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Vascular dementia is a significant cause of cognitive impairment.
  • Its prevalence and underlying pathologies are not fully understood.
  • Existing classifications may not capture the full spectrum of causes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To pathoanatomically analyze autopsy brains from dementia cases.
  • To define distinct groups of vascular dementia based on lesion characteristics.
  • To propose a basis for a pathoanatomical classification of vascular dementias.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 175 autopsy brains from prospectively studied dementia cases.
  • Pathoanatomical examination focusing on lesion type, size, and location.
  • Classification based on vessel disease (large/small) and hypoperfusion.

Main Results:

  • Defined pure groups of vascular dementia based on etiology.
  • Identified infarcts as either complete or incomplete, with incomplete infarction being significant.
  • Demonstrated that incomplete infarction is an underappreciated cause of brain dysfunction.

Conclusions:

  • Vascular dementia is more prevalent than commonly assumed.
  • Incomplete infarction represents a critical factor in vascular dementia.
  • Pathoanatomical analysis provides a foundation for classifying vascular dementias.

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