Impact of educational level and lesion volume on cognitive performance in subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia: a study in CADASIL

Background and purpose: Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia following Alzheimer's Disease (AD), with subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD) being an important variant. Current research underlines the importance of vascular factors in AD and the high amount of comorbidity. CADASIL, a monogenic variant of small vessel disease, can be regarded as a model of “pure“ SIVD and is characterized by a specific pattern of cognitive deficits with impairment in processing speed and executive functions. Cerebral lacunar lesion volume has been shown to be an important substrate of cognitive defi…