Depression as a confounding factor in subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia: results from a cross-sectional study in CADASIL

Background and purpose: Vascular dementia is the second most frequent cause of dementia following Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and is frequently related to small vessel disease, leading to subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD). SIVD is characterized by a specific pattern of cognitive deficits with impairment of processing speed and executive function and, in contrast to AD, a relative preservation of memory. CADASIL, a monogenic variant of small vessel disease, can be regarded as a “pure“ form of SIVD and can thus serve as a clinical model for cognitive impairment related to SIVD. Depression is known to infl…