[5] Because Binswanger's disease affects flow processing speed and causes impaired concentration, the ability to do everyday tasks such as managing finances, preparing a meal and driving may become very difficult.

[3] Binswanger's disease is a type of subcortical vascular dementia caused by white matter atrophy to the brain.

Indications include infarctions, lesions, or loss of intensity of central white matter and enlargement of ventricles, and leukoaraiosis.

A mini–mental state examination has been created to quickly assess cognitive impairment and serves as a screening test for dementia across different cultures.

[9] Because of this information, white matter changes indicated by magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography cannot alone diagnose Binswanger disease, but can aid to a bigger picture in the diagnostic process.

[5] Binswanger disease may be diagnosed by a team of experts including a neurologist and psychiatrist to rule out other psychological or neurological problems.

Research has shown that the higher these scores, the more of a decrease in processing speed, executive functions, and motor learning tasks.

[14][15] Other researchers have begun using computers to calculate the percentage of white matter atrophy by counting the hyper-intense pixels of the magnetic resonance images.

These and similar reports show a correlation between the amount of white matter alterations and the decline of psychomotor functions, reduced performance on attention and executive control.

[16][17] One type of technology is called susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) which is a magnetic resonance technique which has an unusually high degree of sensitivity and can better detect white matter alterations.

[19] The successful management of vascular risk factors that contribute to poor perfusion in the brain is to treat the cause, such as chronic hypertension or diabetes.

He described a patient who had slow progression of dementia as well as subcortical white matter atrophy, ventricle enlargement, aphasia, hemianopsia, and hemiparesis.