title: Genetics of vascular dementia - review from the ICVD working group.
abstract: Vascular dementia is a common disorder resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Determining the extent to which genes play a role in disease susceptibility and their pathophysiological mechanisms could improve our understanding of vascular dementia, leading to a potential translation of this knowledge to clinical practice.
  
  
  
  In this review, we discuss what is currently known about the genetics of vascular dementia. The identification of causal genes remains limited to monogenic forms of the disease, with findings for sporadic vascular dementia being less robust. However, progress in genetic research on associated phenotypes, such as cerebral small vessel disease, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke, have the potential to inform on the genetics of vascular dementia. We conclude by providing an overview of future developments in the field and how such work could impact patients and clinicians.
  
  
  
  The genetic background of vascular dementia is well established for monogenic disorders, but remains relatively obscure for the sporadic form. More work is needed for providing robust findings that might eventually lead to clinical translation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. m.a.ikram@erasmusmc.nl.|Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. m.a.ikram@erasmusmc.nl.|Department of Neurology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. m.a.ikram@erasmusmc.nl.|Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Wytemaweg 80, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. m.a.ikram@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: M Arfan
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ikram
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Unit IRCCS Foundation Neurological Institute C. Besta, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bersano
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.|Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), University of Salamanca-CSIC-SACYL, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manso-Calderón
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Neuroepidemiology and Ageing Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Lefkos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nacmias
authors.affiliation: IBGE, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Saima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siddiqi
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hieab H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase / Q000235:genetics; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000235:genetics*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase
keywords: Cerebral small vessel disease; Genetics; Magnetic resonance imaging; Vascular dementia