White matter hyperintensities: a target for the prevention of cognitive decline?

Lowering blood pressure might decrease the rate of cognitive decline in e4 carriers and in subjects with white matter hyperintensities, a risk factor for cognitive decline White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are frequent in apparently normal elderly subjects, in patients with vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure levels, in stroke patients, and in patients with either vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this issue, the papers by Garde et al ( see pages 1289-91 ),1 Jokinen et al ( see pages 1229-33 ),2 and de Leeuw et al ( see pages 1286-8 )3 provide evidence that WMH also influence cognitive functions independently of the underlying pathology. These three studies provide …