Cognitive Deficits After Stroke

Abstract

Cognition is a central feature of human existence and brain function. Cognitive deficits are common after stroke and may strongly impact functional outcome. Recent years have seen substantial advances in our understanding of cognitive functions in the healthy state, and this new body of knowledge promises to open new avenues for understanding and treating poststroke impairments, including cognitive deficits. The 5 reviews in this Focused Update from an international cast of experts provide excellent updates on cognitive syndromes that commonly contribute to poststroke disability: neglect, aphasia, apraxia, loss of executive function, and memory disorders. Cognitive impairment remains a major source of morbidity after stroke; these reviews approach this problem by considering clinical presentations, pathophysiology, measurement tools, and treatment approaches. In doing so, they highlight a number of key questions and critical gaps. A number of issues emerge as common across cognitive domains poststroke and are summarized herein. There is a need for improved methods to measure cognitive impairments, as well as for improved insights into pathophysiology of symptom onset and mechanisms of recovery after stroke, including validated biomarkers. These 5 state of the art summaries are sure to prove useful toward these goals.

Neuroprotective effects of methanolic extract from Chuanxiong Rhizoma in mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced ischemic stroke: suppression of astrocyte- and microglia-related inflammatory response

“…Stroke often manifests cognitive function impairment along with physical dysfunction, sleep disturbance, behavioral and personality changes, and neuropsychological changes. It can affect memory, thinking ability, planning ability, language function, attention, and daily living skills [ 47 , 48 ]. MCAO-induced ischemic stroke in mice showed a significant reduction in spontaneous motor activities and DR in the NORT, and CRex suppressed such deficit in the DR (Fig.…”

The presence of anhedonia in individuals with subacute and chronic stroke: an exploratory cohort study

“…Moreover, due to the exploratory nature of this study, our sample of stroke patients was small and limited to those with upper-limb motor deficits. Considering that stroke patients also experience other neurological and cognitive impairments such as aphasia, execution dysfunction or memory disorders ( Grönberg et al, 2022 ; Cramer et al, 2023 ), our inclusion criteria made the results not representative of the entire stroke population. However, motor impairment remains one of the most prevalent consequences after stroke, with approximately half of survivors experiencing impaired upper-limb movements in the chronic phase of the disease ( Lee et al, 2015 ; Ingram et al, 2021 ).…”

Mobile applications for cognitive training: Content analysis and quality review

“…Memory is defined as the ability to store, recall, utilize, and manipulate specific information. Attention is defined as the ability to pay attention to external objects instantaneously, maintain attention for a long time, or move attention from one place to another ( Powell, 2017 ; Harvey, 2019 ; Cramer et al, 2023 ). The executive function consists of problem planning, implementation, inhibition of behavior, and flexibility of thinking and is defined as the ability to control, regulate, and manage various cognitive processes ( Diamond, 2013 ).…”