Vitamin D in the Brain Small Vessel Disease

Subcortical dementia, also called small vessel disease related dementia, is a relevant health problem affecting millions of patients worldwide. It is usually related to small vessel pathology, determined by hypo-perfusion, diffuse ischaemic white matter lesions and incomplete ischaemic injury. Due to the lack of effective therapeutic options, the role of different risk factors has been investigated as their correction may lead to the improvement of the cerebral conditions. Among the risk factors these is obesity, hearing loss, metabolic alterations and hyperhomocystenemia. In this report, we review the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and subcortical vascular dementia. Our interest is based on several reports suggesting an independent association between a lack in vitamin D and neurodegenerative dementia.