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Updates on vascular dementia
Sabrina Ng, Ava Hornblass, Parnian Habibi, Salman S. Ikramuddin, J.H. Chen, Wuwei Feng, Dongming Cai. Stroke and Vascular Neurology, 2025-02-24
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD). In comparison to AD, there is a decline in the incidence of VaD due to recent improvements in cardiovascular risk factors. Brain hypoperfusion and hypoxia due to vascular pathologies have been postulated as the primary disease mechanism of VaD. However, other factors such as neuroinflammation may also contribute to the development of VaD. Non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors have been attributed to VaD. The clinical features overlapping between AD and VaD create significant challenges for physicians. Newly developed biomarkers may potentially help differentiate VaD from other forms of dementia. Unlike AD, there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved drug or device for treating VaD. Current treatment options mainly target symptoms rather than slowing the development or progression of VaD. There are ongoing research studies testing the efficacy of various therapeutic strategies for VaD. In this narrative review, we will summarise current findings on epidemiology, attributed risk factors and disease mechanisms, as well as emphasise the importance of optimising lifestyle modifications and comorbid condition management in preventing or slowing down the development of VaD. Finally, current therapies and ongoing research studies of novel therapeutic interventions such as stem-cell therapy and neuromodulation are highlighted.
Key findings
- The clinical features overlapping between AD and VaD create significant challenges for physicians.
Why it matters
This narrative review covers vascular dementia, the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. It reports that no FDA-approved drug or device exists for treating vascular dementia, that current options target symptoms rather than slowing progression, and that lifestyle and comorbid condition management are emphasized for prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Study designnarrative review
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Stroke and Vascular Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Stroke and Vascular Neurology: journal h-index 61 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | Design recorded as “narrative review”, which our rubric does not rank (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 31 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 19.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 31 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Dongming Cai: h-index 36 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Minnesota: institution h-index 1,568 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40000032) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1136/svn-2025-004048
- PubMed: 40000032
- Original source →
- Free full text: Stroke and Vascular Neurology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ng, S., Hornblass, A., Habibi, P., Ikramuddin, S. S., Chen, J., Feng, W., et al. (2025). Updates on vascular dementia. Stroke and Vascular Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1136/svn-2025-004048
Vancouver
Ng S, Hornblass A, Habibi P, Ikramuddin SS, Chen J, Feng W, et al. Updates on vascular dementia. Stroke and Vascular Neurology. 2025. doi:10.1136/svn-2025-004048. PMID: 40000032.
BibTeX
@article{ng2025-40000032,
author = {Ng, Sabrina and Hornblass, Ava and Habibi, Parnian and Ikramuddin, Salman S. and Chen, J.H. and Feng, Wuwei and Cai, Dongming},
title = {{Updates on vascular dementia}},
journal = {Stroke and Vascular Neurology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1136/svn-2025-004048},
pmid = {40000032},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/svn-2025-004048}
}
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