Chapter 17 - Cerebral microbleeds and cognitiveimpairment

Summary

This chapter describes how cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) fit broadly within the spectrum of vascular cognitive impairment, and more specifically with interactions between vascular and degenerative mechanisms. It reviews the evidence of associations between CMBs and cognitive function across different clinical groups. Cerebral microbleeds are commonly found in patients with cerebrovascular diseases, including populations with first-ever or recurrent ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. It has also become clear in recent years that the distinction between vascular cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease may be an oversimplification since both are diseases of older people and must commonly co-exist. Furthermore, it is recognized that vascular and degenerative processes will have complex interactions and sometimes synergistic or additive effects on brain function. CMBs are found in 20-30% of patients with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and are common in sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).