Jiabao He1, Michael J. Firbank2,
Rajesh N. Kalaria2, Baldev Singh2, Paul Danson2,
1Newcastle MR Centre and Institute of
Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom;
2Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle
upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Stroke
is one of the most important risk factors for dementia. In stroke survivors who do not have
immediate, severe cognitive impairment, the risk of developing dementia is
significantly increased. Stroke may
also exacerbate or trigger the development of neurodegenerative pathology. Small vessel vascular effects may be an
important factor in neurodegeneration.
We compared CBF in post-stroke patients with and without cognitive
decline, patients with Alzheimers disease and healthy controls. Regional and
global deficits in CBF were found in patients with post-stroke dementia
resembling patterns of change in AD patients, while cognitively intact
post-stroke patients had normal CBF.