ABSTRACT
Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) refers to a heterogeneous group of conditions in which vascular factors are associated with or cause cognitive deficits (Bowler & Hachinski, 1995). This concept applies to cognitive impairment of any severity including vascular and mixed vascular-neurodegenerative dementia (Moorhouse & Rockwood, 2008). The prevalence of vascular dementia (VaD) is estimated as 3.1% in those older than 75 years and 12% in those older than 85. The prevalence of milder degrees of cognitive impairment associated with vascular causes is even higher (Pantoni, Poggesi, & Inzitari, 2009; Rocca et al., 1991). However, because there is a strong interaction and synergism between cerebrovascular and Alzheimer-type pathology, and most elderly patients have some degree of both, vascular disease is probably the most common etiology of cognitive impairment (Cechetto, Hachinski, & Whitehead, 2008; Hachinski, 1992; Román, 2003; Schneider, Arvanitakis, Bang, & Bennett, 2007; Snowdon et al., 1997).
