Abstract

BackgroundThe objectives of this study are 1) to examine the frequencies of neuropsychiatric symptom clusters in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) by cognitive level and stroke subtype; and 2) to evaluate effect of demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging measures of chronic brain changes and amyloid upon neuropsychiatric symptom clusters.MethodsHospital-based, cross-sectional study. 518 patients were administered the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) 3–6 months post index admission. NPI symptoms were classified into four symptom clusters (Behavioral Problems, Psychosis, Mood Disturbance & Euphoria) derived from a confirmatory factor analysis of the 12 NPI items. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent associations between demographic, clinical and neuroimaging measures of chronic brain changes (white matter changes, old infarcts, whole brain atrophy, medial temporal lobe atrophy [MTLA] and frontal lobe atrophy [FLA]) with the presence of NPI symptoms and all symptom clusters except euphoria. 11C-Pittsburg Compound B Positron Emission Tomography (11C-PiB PET) was performed in 24 patients to measure amyloid retention for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology.Results50.6% of the whole sample, including 28.7% cognitively normal and 66.7% of patients with mild cognitive symptoms, had ≥1 NPI symptoms. Frequencies of symptom clusters were largely similar between stroke subtypes. Compared to patients with cardioembolic stroke and intracranial haemorrhage, those with TIA had less frequent mood disturbance. Stroke severity at admission and MTLA were the most robust correlates of symptoms. FLA was associated with behavioral problems cluster only. Frequency of symptom clusters did not differ between patients with and without significant amyloid retention.ConclusionFrequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms increased with level of cognitive impairment but was largely similar between stroke subtypes. Stroke severity and MTLA were associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms. AD pathology appeared to be unrelated to neuropsychiatric manifestations but further studies with larger sample size are required to substantiate this finding.

Highlights

  • Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with a wide range of brain disorders including stroke and are strong predictors of adverse outcomes.[1, 2] Neuropsychiatric symptoms generally follow cognitive impairment, which is a prevalent complication of stroke.[3]

  • Frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms increased with level of cognitive impairment but was largely similar between stroke subtypes

  • Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology appeared to be unrelated to neuropsychiatric manifestations but further studies with larger sample size are required to substantiate this finding

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with a wide range of brain disorders including stroke and are strong predictors of adverse outcomes.[1, 2] Neuropsychiatric symptoms generally follow cognitive impairment, which is a prevalent complication of stroke.[3]. Utilizing data from a stroke cognitive registry,[13] the objectives of this study are 1) to examine the frequencies of neuropsychiatric symptoms and symptom clusters by cognitive level and stroke subtype in patients recently admitted for stroke or TIA, and 2) to evaluate the effects of demographic, clinical and cognitive factors as well as chronic brain changes upon neuropsychiatric symptom clusters. The objectives of this study are 1) to examine the frequencies of neuropsychiatric symptom clusters in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) by cognitive level and stroke subtype; and 2) to evaluate effect of demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging measures of chronic brain changes and amyloid upon neuropsychiatric symptom clusters

Objectives
Methods
Findings
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.