A multi-disciplinary commentary on preclinical research to investigate vascular contributions to dementia

Although dementia research has been dominated by Alzheimer's disease (AD), most dementia in older people is now recognised to be due to mixed pathologies, usually combining vascular and AD brain pathology. Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), which encompasses vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common type of dementia. Models of VCI have been delayed by limited understanding of the underlying aetiology and pathogenesis. This review by a multidisciplinary, diverse (in terms of sex, geography and career stage), cross-institute team provides a perspective on limitations to current VCI models and recommendations for improving translation and reproducibility. We discuss reproducibility, clinical features of VCI and corresponding assessments in models, human pathology, bioinformatics approaches, and data sharing. We offer recommendations for future research, particularly focusing on small vessel disease as a main underpinning disorder.

Automated summary

Although Alzheimer's disease has dominated dementia research, it is now recognized that most dementia in older people is caused by a combination of vascular and Alzheimer's brain pathology. This review provides a perspective on the limitations of current vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) models and offers recommendations for improving translation and reproducibility. The authors discuss reproducibility, clinical features of VCI, human pathology, bioinformatics approaches, and data sharing, and emphasize the importance of small vessel disease in future research.