Cortical microinfarcts (CMI) are frequently observed in the ageing brain independent of cognitive decline, but their etiology is not fully elucidated. To examine the potential role of different vessel pathologies, including cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), arteriolosclerosis-hyalinosis, and thromboembolism in the development of CMI, we examined 80 autopsy cases with more than one CMI on routine neuropathological examination.