subcortical dementia

any of a group of dementias thought to be caused by lesions affecting subcortical brain structures (such as the centrum ovale, basal ganglia, or thalamus) more than cortical ones, and characterized by memory loss with slowness in processing information or making intellectual responses. Included are vascular dementia and dementias that accompany Huntington disease, Wilson disease, Parkinson disease, and thalamic atrophies.