[Cognitive impairment associated to leukoaraiosis: its pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and treatment]

Abstract

Introduction and development: Leukoaraiosis is a radiological term which refers to white matter disturbances observed as a hypodensity in computed tomography and hyperintensity in T2-weighted magnetic resonance image. The most accepted theory to explain the mechanism of production of leukoaraiosis is chronic ischemia, due to a damage in penetrating arteries. It is an entity with increasing interest, since it is associated with the presence of cognitive impairment. Clinical manifestations in relation with cognitive functions range from mild affectation to dementia, affecting the processing speed and executive functions.

Conclusions: It seems that the control of vascular risk factors slow the progression of leukoaraiosis and cognitive impairment, and although there are no really effective treatment, it seems that some drugs, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or NMDA-receptor antagonists, exert a beneficial effect, although slight, in cognitive functions.