Stroke, Cognition and Neuroepidemiology Section

National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Vascular risk factors are associated with cognitive decline and dementia, especially when evaluated in middle age. Whether these same risk factors determine risk of cognitive impairment after stroke, a condition where vascular risk is generally elevated, is not clear, nor is the role of other modifiable risk factors. Furthermore, whether the mechanism of a vascular impact on cognition is solely via identifiable imaging markers of cerebrovascular disease (such as small vessel disease, silent infarcts or microbleeds) or whether there are other mechanisms by which vascular risk contributes to cognitive impairment is not well understood. Ongoing studies in the SCAN section evaluate related questions to VCID presence, etiology, and potential pathways for prevention, as well as ways in which the risks of cognitive impairment after brain injury (stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, and even TBI) may be modified.