What Happens in the Brain During Vascular Dementia

Key Takeaways

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia.

Strokes that affect cognitive (thinking) abilities cause vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia often worsens in a stepwise pattern, and stroke prevention can help prevent or slow the progression of vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia is a type of dementia caused by strokes. This type of dementia often involves sudden small or moderate stages of decline in memory and thinking, with symptoms becoming more noticeable every time a person experiences a new stroke.

What Causes Vascular Dementia?

Vascular dementia happens when a person has small or large strokes in areas of the brain that control any of the following:

Memory

Reasoning

Decision making

Calculations

Recognizing people

Attention

Concentration

Em