![]() ![]() Aerobic exercise reduced the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment due to increased production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which encourages plasticity and preserves synaptic density.There are a variety of lifestyle behaviors and risk factors that may affect the development of cerebral small vessel disease or pathologies associated with the disease, including: Brain atrophy can be measured in midlife prior to the development of cognitive impairments and is more pronounced in adults with obesity compared to adults with a lean BMI. Brain Atrophy - A loss of tissue mass that occurs when the brain must downsize the number of neurons and neuronal connections it supports due to chronic deprivation of nutrients and growth factors and accumulation of waste.Enlarged perivascular spaces compromise waste removal by the glymphatic system, increasing brain concentrations of toxins, such as amyloid-beta, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Enlarged Perivascular Spaces - A build-up of interstitial fluid that is unable to be exchanged with fresh serum flowing through adjacent blood vessels.Increased burden of lacunes is associated with cognitive decline and gait disturbances in older adults. Lacunes (from the Latin for "little lakes") - Areas of empty space on an MRI scan where chronic ischemia (inadequate blood flow) has resulted in tissue death, often following chronic cerebral microbleeds.Age and hypertension contribute to the formation of cerebral microbleeds. Cerebral Microbleeds - Small deposits of blood waste products (mainly hemosiderin) that accumulate when blood escapes from nearby damaged small vessels, as called a hemorrhage. ![]() The development of white matter hyperintensities may be mediated by cumulative exposure to hypertension (i.e., high blood pressure) and contributes to cognitive decline and dementia. White Matter Hyperintensities - Areas of white matter lesions that appear bright white on an MRI scan.The contributing phenomena attributed to cognitive decline as a result of small vessel disease include: The functional impact of cerebral small vessel disease on cognition can be predicted through a system of scoring medical images to observe contributing phenomena directly. Brain and vascular phenomena of small vessel disease Small vessel disease in the brain contributes to approximately 50 percent of dementia cases worldwide, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other common neurodegenerative diseases. As a consequence of the profound effects of small vessel disease on the functioning of the brain and blood-brain barrier, for the purposes of this article, we will focus predominantly on cerebral aspects of small vessel disease, called cerebral small vessel disease. Small vessel disease is a condition causing blood vessel dysfunction that occurs with aging and contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and stroke. ![]()
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