CADASIL Home A-Z Health Information Health Library A-Z Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy With Subcortical... Overview CADASIL is a rare condition that affects blood flow to the brain, potentially leading to stroke, headache, gait disturbances, and dementia. Causes It occurs due to mutation in the NOTCH 3 gene and affects the small vessels of the brain. Risk factors HypertensionSmoking habitsFamily historyMigraine with auraHigher homocysteine levelsOvarian hormones may play a role in sex-related differences in CADASIL Symptoms Migrainous headachesMultiple strokes in various parts of the brainMemory declineSeizuresVision problemsSlowness of movements and imbalance while walking Specialist to approach Neurologist Diagnosis MRIGenetic testing for- notch 3 mutation on chromosome 19. Treatment Symptomatic treatment for headache, seizures, gait training, and cognitive therapyNo specific therapy available