Progress of the Treatment of Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia(VaD) is a syndrome characterized with acquired mental retardations due to brain damages of cerebrovascular origin,causing 20% to 30% of all the elderly dementia cases.The pathogenesis of VaD involves a series of molecular and structural changes subsequent to cerebrovascular lesions,which includes inflammatory reactions,oxidative stress,apoptosis,excitotoxicity and synaptic transmission impairments.Although clinical trials have been conducted on a number of drugs including cholinesterase inhibitors,memantine,nimodipine and cerebrolysin,there is not a FDA approved drug for treating VaD so far,since the drugs are either with limited effect on ability of daily living,or with uncertain security.The treatment of VaD should be multiple targeted and further clinical trials precisely designed are needed for the effective treatment of VaD.This paper summarizes the pathogenesis and treatment of VaD.