Symptoms

The symptoms of vascular dementia depend entirely upon the location of blood clots or bleeding in the brain. Thus, the memory is not necessarily always affected. In some people, other cognitive symptoms may be more apparent.

In vascular dementia, symptoms are frequently observed that are called "subcortical" (sub = under, cortical = cerebral cortex). That is to say, the symptoms are due to damage to the deep structures of the brain. The person's ability to think becomes slower, they become more apathetic and have problems concentrating. They have trouble finding words and performing more complex tasks.

In vascular dementia, the person may also have depressive symptoms. The person's emotional expressions are unstable, they may weep or laugh uncontrollably and these emotional reactions may occur in situations where they neither feel sad nor happy.

There may be symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease with sluggish and stiff movements. Pronunciation and voice can change and become difficult to understand. Incontinence may often occur early in the course of the disease. The person may also develop symptoms such as memory disorders, problems finding their way and finding words (cognitive symptoms), symptoms that are also observed in Alzheimer's disease.