Trial of Remote Ischemic Pre-conditioning in Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Cerebral small vessel disease is a common cause of cognitive impairment. Remote ischemic pre-conditioning (RIC) is a technique to induce brief periods of limb ischemia-reperfusion that is hypothesized to increase tolerance of the brain to hypoperfusion and increase cerebral blood flow. Patients with cognitive impairment, preserved basic activities of daily living, and brain computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of confluent white matter hyperintensities or multiple brain infarcts will be randomized to either RIC performed once a day on one arm, or twice per day on one arm, for 30 days, to test tolerability and effects on MRI markers of blood flow.