Neuroprotective Potentials of Natural Vitamin E for Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Abstract

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) refers to a spectrum of clinical and neuroimaging findings resulting from pathological processes of various etiologies affecting cerebral arterioles, perforating arteries, capillaries, and venules. It is the commonest neurological problem that results in significant disability, but awareness of it remains poor. It affects over half of people over 65 years old and inflicts up to third of acute strokes, over 40% of dementia, and a significant decline in physical ability in otherwise asymptomatic, aging individuals. Moreover, the unifying theory for the pathomechanism of the disease remains elusive and hence the apparent ineffective therapeutic approaches. Given the growing literature for natural vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) as a potent antioxidant, this chapter attempts to consolidate the contemporary evidence to shed plausible insights on the neuroprotective potentials of natural vitamin E in addressing the heterogenous CSVD spectrum, in health and in disease.