Mild cognitive decline in nearly half lacunar stroke patients

August 27, 2012 in Neuroscience

Mild cognitive decline in nearly half lacunar stroke patients

Mild cognitive impairment is present in nearly half of patients with lacunar stroke, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Annals of Neurology.

(HealthDay)—Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is present in nearly half of patients with lacunar stroke, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Annals of Neurology.

Claudia Jacova, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and associates conducted a study to characterize, and estimate the prevalence of, neuropsychological impairment in 1,636 English-speaking lacunar stroke patients. Using published norms, raw scores were converted to z scores. Participants underwent neuropsychological testing at baseline and those with impairment (z score of ≤1.5) in memory and/or non-memory domains were classified as having MCI.

The researchers found that the average z scores at baseline testing were below zero. The largest deficits were seen in measures of episodic memory (range of means, −0.65 to −0.92), (mean, −0.89), and motor dexterity (mean, −2.5). Of the participants, 47 percent were classified as having MCI, which included 36 percent amnestic, 37 percent amnestic multidomain, and 28 percent non-amnestic. Forty-one percent of those with Rankin score of 0 to 1 and Barthel score of 100 percent had MCI.

"In this large, well-characterized cohort of lacunar stroke patients, MCI was present in nearly half, including many with minimal or no physical disabilities," the authors write. " in lacunar may commonly be overlooked in clinical practice but may be as important as motor and sensory sequelae."

Study medication was donated by Sanofi/BMS USA.

More information: Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Journal reference: Annals of Neurology search and more info website

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

New neuron formation could increase capacity for new learning, at the expense of old memories

New research presented today shows that formation of new neurons in the hippocampus - a brain region known for its importance in learning and remembering - could cause forgetting of old memories by causing a reorganization ...

Neuroscience created May 24, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Help at hand for people with schizophrenia

How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen.

Neuroscience created May 24, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 2

Japanese research organizations contribute to Human Brain Project

One of the major frontiers of modern science is a comprehensive understanding of the human brain and its functions to guide the development of new technologies in information and communication. In a major announcement for ...

Neuroscience created May 24, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria

(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...

Neuroscience created May 23, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Brain uses internal 'average voice' prototype to identify who is talking

(Medical Xpress)—The human brain is able to identify individuals' voices by comparing them against an internal 'average voice' prototype, according to neuroscientists.

Neuroscience created May 23, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast


First drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade

Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented today at Heart Failure 2013 congress. It is the first drug to improve heart failure mortality ...

Heart failure accelerates male 'menopause'

Heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome (AS), according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. AS, also referred to as male 'menopause', was four times ...

Seniors more likely to crash when driving with pet, study finds

(HealthDay)—Animals make great companions for senior citizens, but elderly people who always drive with a pet in the car are far more likely to crash than those who never drive with a pet, researchers have ...

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Brain can be trained in compassion, study shows

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion—the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

Death highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight

Mortality and length of stay are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight, according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. The analysis of nearly 1 million ...