Assessment of Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms in Patients with Cerebral Small Vessels Disease (CSVD)

Introduction: Cerebral Small Vessels Disease (CSVD) is a progressive and chronic disorder that affects the small arteries of the brain and can lead to vascular dementia and cognitive impairment. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive function and behavioral symptoms in patients with CSVD. Material and Methods : The study was conducted on 96 patients whose brain MRI confirmed CSVD. These patients were selected by purposive sampling method. The patients' cognitive function was assessed using the Addenbrooke's test (ACE-R) (2000). To examine behavioral symptoms, tools including: Bass and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) (1992), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire (PSQI) (1989), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) (1998) used. Results: Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS software version 26. The results showed that there was a negative and significant relationship between behavioral symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress, aggression, and sleep disturbance) and cognitive function of patients (p < 0.05). This means that increasing the severity of behavioral symptoms is associated with decreasing cognitive function of patients. Conclusion: These results emphasize the importance of early identification and intervention in behavioral and cognitive problems in patients with CSVD. Proper management of these problems can help improve the quality of life of these patients and slow the progression of the disease.