[Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: comparative pathologic vascular structure of the cerebral cortex and white matter of the brain].

Certain neurohistological techniques were used to analyze the vasocapillary network of the cortex and adjacent white matter in 11 cases of physiological aging, 3 cases with multi-infarct dementia and 5 cases of Alzheimer's disease. Differences were recorded in the topography and intensity of amyloidosis of the vessels, degenerative alterations in the vessels, senile plagues and other manifestations in the cortex and white matter of dementia and non-dementia patients. The data are of importance for understanding the pathogenesis of dementia of varying origin.