[en] We studied the association between mental ability as rated by Hasegawa's scale, the severity of hypertension, the severity of brain atrophy, and the severity of lesions in the cerebral white matter on magnetic resonance imaging in 34 patients with multiple cerebral infarcts but without obvious cortical lesions. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The patients having both marked brain atrophy and severe white matter lesions showed an impairment of mental ability. Brain atrophy was correlated with aging and the severity of white matter lesions. There was a significant positive correlation between the diastolic blood pressure and the severity of white matter lesions. These findings suggest that the white matter lesions in patients with multiple cerebral infarcts are correlated with brain atrophy and mental deterioration, and that uncontrolled hypertension is an important risk factor in exacerbating the lesions in the cerebral white matter. (author)