Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is the second most common cause of cognitive deficit after Alzheimer's disease. Since VCI patients represent an important target population for prevention, an ongoing effort has been made to elucidate the pathogenesis of this disorder. In this review, we summarize the information from animal models on the molecular changes that occur in the brain during a cerebral vascular insult and ultimately lead to cognitive deficits in VCI. Animal models cannot effectively represent the complex clinical picture of VCI in humans. Nonetheless, they allow some understanding of the important molecular mechanisms leading to cognitive deficits. VCI may be caused by various mechanisms and metabolic pathways. The pathological mechanisms, in terms of cognitive deficits, may span from oxidative stress to vascular clearance of toxic waste products (such as amyloid beta) and from neuroinflammation to impaired function of microglia, astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells. Impaired production of elements of the immune response, such as cytokines, and vascular factors, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), may also affect cognitive functions. No single event could be seen as being the unique cause of cognitive deficits in VCI. These events are interconnected, and may produce cascade effects resulting in cognitive impairment.

• Klíčová slova
• IGF-1, glial cells, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, vascular cognitive impairment,
• MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc metabolismus   MeSH
• amyloidní beta-protein metabolismus   MeSH
• astrocyty metabolismus   MeSH
• cytokiny metabolismus   MeSH
• endoteliální buňky metabolismus   MeSH
• insulinu podobný růstový faktor I metabolismus   MeSH
• kognice * MeSH
• kognitivní dysfunkce metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mikroglie metabolismus   MeSH
• modely u zvířat MeSH
• mozek metabolismus   MeSH
• oxid dusnatý MeSH
• oxidační stres MeSH
• pericyty metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• amyloidní beta-protein MeSH
• cytokiny MeSH
• IGF1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• insulinu podobný růstový faktor I MeSH
• oxid dusnatý MeSH