The pathology of cerebral small vessel disease is characterized by atherosclerosis of small arteries, i.e., loss of smooth muscle in the vessel wall, diffuse lipid deposition, infiltration of plasma proteins and inflammatory factors, and formation of lipid hyalinosis, and LDL-C, the main component of cholesterol, is an important factor in the formation of atherosclerosis. This evidence concerns the gene COG2 and atherosclerosis.