International Psychogeriatrics
Volume 15, Supplement 1 - 2003
Staging: Relevance for Trial Design in Vascular Burden of the Brain BARRY REISBERG, STEVEN H. FERRIS, THET OO, AND EMILE FRANSSEN
ABSTRACT. Cerebrovascular small vessel disease is now believed to be the major source of
vascular burden of the brain. Cerebrovascular small vessel disease and Alzheimer’s disease
appear to represent pathophysiologic and clinical continua, rather than dichotomous entities. It
appears that common etiopathologic mechanisms underlie the clinical presentation of both of
these conditions. Therefore, the staging procedures that have been developed for the clinical
continuum of age-associated memory impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and the progressive
dementia of Alzheimer’s disease appear to be applicable for the same continua in cerebrovascular
small vessel disease. Although temporal and prognostic aspects have been studied for the
Alzheimer’s-related portions of this clinical staging continuum, they remain to be elucidated
for cerebrovascular small vessel disease.
