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Cognitive impairment in sporadic cerebral small vessel disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Hamilton Olivia K. L.,
Backhouse Ellen V.,
Janssen Esther,
Jochems Angela C. C.,
Maher Caragh,
Ritakari Tuula E.,
Stevenson Anna J.,
Xia Lihua,
Deary Ian J.,
Wardlaw Joanna M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1002/alz.12221
Subject(s) - cognition , meta analysis , cognitive impairment , disease , affect (linguistics) , psychology , cognitive psychology , medicine , neuroscience , pathology , communication
This paper is a proposal for an update on the characterization of cognitive impairments associated with sporadic cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). We pose a series of questions about the nature of SVD‐related cognitive impairments and provide answers based on a comprehensive review and meta‐analysis of published data from 69 studies. Although SVD is thought primarily to affect executive function and processing speed, we hypothesize that SVD affects all major domains of cognitive ability. We also identify low levels of education as a potentially modifiable risk factor for SVD‐related cognitive impairment. Therefore, we propose the use of comprehensive cognitive assessments and the measurement of educational level both in clinics and research settings, and suggest several recommendations for future research.