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Vascular Dementia

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging

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Synonym

VaD

Definition

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia (See “Dementia”), after Alzheimer’s disease (O’Brien and Thomas 2015). The etiology of VaD is believed to be due to the blood vessels to the brain becoming blocked or narrowed, therefore leading to clinical stroke(s) or insults that in turn impact brain integrity and functioning (See “Vascular Diseases of Aging”). Cognitive changes associated with VaD are variable and highly dependent on the vascular pathology leading to the disease, but deficits in executive function and attention are considered a salient feature of neurocognitive presentation (O’Brien et al. 2003).

Overview

Diagnostic Criteria: In the 1970s, the term multi-infarct dementia (MID) was used to describe patients who developed a dementia syndrome after a single vascular insult or a series of vascular insults/strokes (Hachinski et al. 1974). Now, the term vascular dementia is used regardless of the etiology or pathogenesis of the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Margaret E. Wiggins & Catherine Price

Authors
  1. Margaret E. Wiggins
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  2. Catherine Price
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret E. Wiggins .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Population Division, UN Dept of Economic Social Affairs Population Division, New York, NY, USA

    Danan Gu

  2. Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Matthew E. Dupre

Section Editor information

  1. Center for Cognitive aging and Memory, Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, McNight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Adam J. Woods

  2. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Adam J. Woods

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Wiggins, M.E., Price, C. (2019). Vascular Dementia. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_719-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_719-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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