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Vascular Cognitive Impairment
Dichgans M, Leys D.. Circulation research, 2017-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Cerebrovascular disease typically manifests with stroke, cognitive impairment, or both. Vascular cognitive impairment refers to all forms of cognitive disorder associated with cerebrovascular disease, regardless of the specific mechanisms involved. It encompasses the full range of cognitive deficits from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. In principle, any of the multiple causes of clinical stroke can cause vascular cognitive impairment. Recent work further highlights a role of microinfarcts, microhemorrhages, strategic white matter tracts, loss of microstructural tissue integrity, and secondary neurodegeneration. Vascular brain injury results in loss of structural and functional connectivity and, hence, compromise of functional networks within the brain. Vascular cognitive impairment is common both after stroke and in stroke-free individuals presenting to dementia clinics, and vascular pathology frequently coexists with neurodegenerative pathology, resulting in mixed forms of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Vascular dementia is now recognized as the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, and there is increasing awareness that targeting vascular risk may help to prevent dementia, even of the Alzheimer type. Recent advances in neuroimaging, neuropathology, epidemiology, and genetics have led to a deeper understanding of how vascular disease affects cognition. These new findings provide an opportunity for the present reappraisal of vascular cognitive impairment. We further briefly address current therapeutic concepts.
Key findings
- Vascular cognitive impairment refers to all forms of cognitive disorder associated with cerebrovascular disease, regardless of the specific mechanisms involved.
- Vascular brain injury results in loss of structural and functional connectivity and, hence, compromise of functional networks within the brain.
Why it matters
This review describes vascular cognitive impairment as all forms of cognitive disorder associated with cerebrovascular disease, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, and notes it frequently coexists with neurodegenerative pathology. It states that targeting vascular risk may help prevent dementia, even of the Alzheimer type.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 55/100
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 (Circulation research) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Circulation Research: journal h-index 507 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (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 | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 581 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 52.8 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 36.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 19 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 195 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Didier Leys: h-index 98 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28154105) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.116.308426
- PubMed: 28154105
- Original source →
- Free full text: Circulation Research →
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Dichgans, M., & Leys, D. (2017). Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Circulation research. https://doi.org/10.1161/circresaha.116.308426
Vancouver
Dichgans M, Leys D. Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Circulation research. 2017. doi:10.1161/circresaha.116.308426. PMID: 28154105.
BibTeX
@article{dichgans2017-28154105,
author = {Dichgans, M. and Leys, D.},
title = {{Vascular Cognitive Impairment}},
journal = {Circulation research},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1161/circresaha.116.308426},
pmid = {28154105},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1161/circresaha.116.308426}
}
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