What can imaging tell us about cognitive impairment and dementia?

Figure 6 Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging images demonstrating structural changes secondary to cerebral small vessel disease. A: Axial image of CT brain demonstrating periventricular white matter low attenuation changes; B and C: The same seen as periventricular white matter high signal areas on FLAIR and T2 MRI; D: Prominent perivascular spaces typically seen in the basal ganglia; E: Centrum semiovale; F: Focal lacune, a cerebrospinal fluid filled space, sequelae of an old lacunar infarct in the right thalamus seen here (arrow) on an axial T1 image; G: Lacune (arrow) in the left frontal lobe on a FLAIR image, usually with a rim of high signal differentiating from a PVS; H: Cerebral microhaemorrhages, seen here as focal rounded black/low signal foci in the white matter of both frontal lobes on T2* gradient echo MRI. MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; CT: Computed tomography.