Article Text
Abstract
Sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common age related cerebral small vessel disease, characterised by progressive deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the wall of small to medium sized arteries, arterioles and capillaries of the cerebral cortex and overlying leptomeninges. Previously considered to be a rare neurological curiosity, CAA is now recognised as an important cause of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage and cognitive impairment in the elderly, two fundamental challenges in the field of cerebrovascular disease. Our understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of CAA continues to evolve rapidly, with the use of transgenic mouse models and advanced structural and/or molecular neuroimaging techniques. Yet, despite remarkable recent interest, CAA remains under-recognised by neurologists and stroke physicians. In this review, a fresh look at key developments in understanding the complex pathophysiology, important clinical and radiological features, diagnostic approaches and prospects for rational therapies for this enigmatic small vessel disorder is provided.
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Supplementary materials
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Footnotes
Funding AC receives research support from the Greek State Scholarship Foundation. DJW receives research support from the Department of Health/Higher Education Funding Council for England (Clinical Senior Lectureship Award) and the Stroke Association. This work was undertaken at UCLH/UCL who received a proportion of funding from the Department of Health's NIHR Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme.
Competing interests None.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.