[Pathology of small cerebral arteries demonstrated by MRI: a marker of aging?].

Brain magnetic resonance imaging frequently identifies signal abnormalities in the white matter and cerebral cortex in the elderly. They are related to a degenerative disease of the small vessels that may be of ischemic (leukoaraiosis, lacunae and infarct) or hemorrhagic (microbleeds and hematomas) origin. These lesions are part of the aging process, and compounded by vascular risk factors.