CLINICAL AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND VASCULAR RISK FACTORS

To investigate the clinical and neuropsychological features of vascular dementia, characterize the pattern of cognitive impairment, and assess its relationship with major vascular risk factors. Materials and Methods. The illustrative study included 150 participants: 80 patients with vascular dementia, 40 patients with mild vascular cognitive impairment without dementia, and 30 apparently healthy controls. The proposed assessment included clinical and neurological examinations, cognitive testing using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), evaluation of vascular risk factors, and analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Results. In the simulated dataset, the mean MoCA score was 15.8 ± 3.6 in patients with vascular dementia, 22.4 ± 2.1 in patients with mild vascular cognitive impairment, and 27.1 ± 1.4 in the control group. The most frequently reported vascular risk factors in the vascular dementia group were arterial hypertension (90.0%), dyslipidemia (65.0%), and a history of stroke (60.0%). Executive dysfunction and impaired attention were the most prominent cognitive deficits in the illustrative dataset. Conclusion. Comprehensive assessment of cognitive functions, vascular risk factors, and neuroimaging findings is important for the diagnostic evaluation of vascular dementia and the development of individualized patient management strategies.