Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD)

In healthy people, blood flow to each area in the brain increases when that area becomes more active. This ensures that the brain gets enough blood at the right place and the right time. In people with cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), this process doesn’t work very well, and the “normal” increase in blood flow to an active area does not happen.

The aim of this study is to find out whether the normal blood flow response can be corrected in cSVD. We will try to correct the blood flow response using a drug called XBD173, which binds to TSPO.

Patients with cSVD will first undergo screening to provide consent and determine eligibility. If enrolled in the study, participants will be given an MRI scan and then either XBD173 (twice a day for 4 weeks) or a dummy capsule (“a placebo”). They will return 4 weeks later for another MRI scan. After a 6-week break, they will be switched to receive the other intervention. For example, if they received XBD173 for the first time around, they will then be given a placebo (and vice versa). They will also receive an MRI scan before and after this treatment.

• Patient information sheet
• Patient consent form