CADASIL syndrome. Coloured axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain of a 47-year-old patient with CADASIL syndrome. The front of the brain is at top. CADASIL stands for cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. This genetic condition is a type of hereditary stroke disorder. Those with this syndrome are predisposed to a range of cerebrovascular conditions, including strokes and migraines. Here, small lesions (black dots) show where minor strokes and other problems with blood flow have affected the brain. The other black areas are the brain folds and ventricles.