Microangiopathie cérébrale et démence : de la physiopathologie aux perspectives thérapeutiques

Dementia is a major public health challenge for which we have no efficient curative or preventive treatment to date. Often “covert” cerebrovascular disease, especially microangiopathy, can cause cognitive decline and dementia by itself, but can also have synergistic effects in conjunction with neurodegenerative lesions. Midlife exposure to vascular risk factors appears to increase the risk of dementia in late life. The objective of this article is to highlight these pathophysiological links and the potential for prevention of dementia from a vascular perspective.