Binswanger's disease, also known as subcortical vascular dementia, is a type of dementia that involves extensive microscopic damage to the small blood vessels and nerve fibers that make up the brain's white matter. White matter refers to nerve fibers that are surrounded by myelin, a whitish coating of fats and other materials that act as protective insulation. The damage is the result of the thickening and narrowing (atherosclerosis) of arteries that feed the subcortical areas of the brain. As the arteries become more narrowed (obstructed), the blood supplied by those arteries decreases and brain tissue dies.

Binswanger's disease, or subcortical vascular dementia, is one of several disorders that fall under the category of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) that affect blood flow to and within the brain.  

Neurological symptoms of subcortical vascular dementia include:

• Progressive loss of thinking, decision-making, organization, and memory
• An unsteady walk
• Changes in behavior, attention, and mood
• Speech and swallowing difficulties

People with subcortical vascular disease often have high blood pressure, a history of stroke, or evidence of disease of the large blood vessels in the neck or heart valves. Symptoms tend to begin after age 60 and progress in a stepwise manner. Both males and females are affected by the disease. 

• Hypertension
• Smoking
• Hypercholesterolemia
• Heart disease
• Diabetes mellitus