BATON ROUGE — Damaged blood vessels can deprive your brain of vital oxygen and nutrients, which could lead to a condition called vascular dementia.

"It's affecting the cables that connect the brain cells. And so our brains are working not at full speed,” Mayo Clinic neurologist Stephen English said.

English says the signs of vascular dementia include problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes.

Factors that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke also raise vascular dementia risk.

"High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, sleep apnea — these are the modifiable risk factors that, if untreated, can cause wear and tear on the small blood vessels in the brain over time,” English said.

If you are at risk or show signs of vascular dementia, consult a neurologist.

"We can potentially augment some of these risk factors. If sleep apnea is contributing, for instance, if you're still smoking, there are things that we can do,” English said.