Background Poststroke depression (PSD) is related to adverse functional and cognitive prognosis in stroke patients. The participation of kynurenine pathway metabolites in depression has been previously proposed; however, there are few studies on its role in PSD and disability in stroke. Objective To investigate if there is a correlation between serum kynurenines levels with poststroke anxiety and depression symptoms and disability scales. Methods A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted in patients with first stroke, of >1 month and <1 year of evolution, with no history of previous psychiatric or neurological disorders; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), functional evaluations (Barthel index, Functional Independence Measure [FIM]) were applied and serum kynurenines (Kyns) were determined. Results Sixty patients were included; significant depressive symptoms were found in 63% of the cases; a significant and positive correlation was obtained between levels of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) with HADS-T ( r = 0.30, P = .025) and HADS-D ( r = 0.28, P = .039). Depressed patients showed significantly higher levels of 3HK ( P = .048) and KYNA ( P = .0271) than nondepressed patients; the 3HK levels were inversely correlated with functional scales: Barthel index ( r = −0.31, P = .02), FIM ( r = −0.40, P = .01); in addition, serum 3HK levels were significantly higher in patients with poor sleep quality ( P = .0190). Conclusions Serum Kyns show correlation with the presence and severity of depressive symptoms and with the disability and sleep quality. Kyns may be a potential marker of depression risk and disability in stroke in future.

Depression and anxiety are common complications after stroke and little is known about the modulatory roles of education and age. Our study aimed to evaluate the modulatory effects of education level on anxiety and depression after stroke and their effect on each age group. Adults with first stroke took part in this cross-sectional observational clinical study. We used the following instruments: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Montreal Cognitive Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Barthel index, and Functional Independence Measure. There were 89 patients. The mean (SD) age was 58.01 (13) years, mean (SD) years of education was 9.91 (5.22), 55.1% presented depression symptoms and 47.2% anxiety symptoms, 56.2% were young adults and 43.8% were older adults. We identified a negative association between education and anxiety score (r = −0. 269, p = 0.011) and depression score (r = −0.252, p = 0.017). In the linear regression analysis, we found that education is negatively associated with HADS, but this influence was more consistent in young adults. In conclusion, a higher education level reduces the risk of depression and anxiety, but their effect is less consistent in older adults.