title: Gait and apathy as relevant symptoms of subcortical vascular dementia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Subcortical vascular dementia relates to small-vessel disease and hypoperfusion, resulting in focal and diffuse ischemic white matter lesions. The main target of the disease are the frontal subcortical neural networks. There is no clinical standard definition of the pathology, on the contrary, everyday clinical practice suggests dominant behavioral alterations and dysexecutive syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this study was to investigate gait disorders, behavioral alteration, and drug intake of a subcortical population with dementia (n = 1155). A complete neuropsychological examination was conducted at baseline and every 6 months, and the results were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data suggest that there is a significant increment in apathy levels and a dramatic decrease in gait and equilibrium control in the patients examined during follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subcortical vascular dementia may be associated with gait and balance alteration and apathy per se; we suggest to implement clinical data with these major aspects.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Neurologica, Responsabile Ambulatorio Complicanze Internistiche Cerebrali, Dipartimento Universitario Clinico di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.affiliation: Medicina Clinica, Ospedale di Cattinara, Trieste, Italy monica.cavressi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cavressi
authors.affiliation: Medicina Clinica, Servizio Reumatologia, Ospedale Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tomietto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057565:Apathy / Q000502:physiology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: apathy; equilibrium; gait; ischemic white matter lesions; subcortical vascular dementia