doiSerbia

Relationship between lesion location and cognitive domains in acute ischemic stroke patients

Bugarski Vojislava (Klinika za neurologiju, Klinički centar Vojvodine, Novi Sad)
Semnic Marija (Klinika za neurologiju, Klinički centar Vojvodine, Novi Sad)
Semnic Robert (Institut za onkologiju, Sremska Kamenica)
Pavlović Dragan (Klinika za neurologiju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)

Localization of brain lesions in acute ischemic stroke has a significant effect on performance in various cognitive domains. The aim of the study was to determine whether there is association between different locations of ischemic brain lesions and different cognitive domains. The study included 40 acute ischemic stroke patients (26 male and 14 female, aged 45-78 years, with 8-16 years of education). Lesion location was visualized using brain computerized tomography, whereas performance in different cognitive domains was assessed using an extensive neuropsychological test battery. The following domains were evaluated: executive function, language, immediate recall, delayed recall, attention, divergent reasoning, and visual-constructive performance in two dimensions. A series of categorical regression analyses were applied. The results showed a significant association between the domains of executive function and language and a set of predictors related to lesion location. Global brain atrophy was found to be a significant partial predictor of performance in all cognitive domains, with higher degrees of global brain atrophy correlating with poorer performance in each of the studied domains. Combined (cortical-subcortical) lesions and unilateral lesions were both found to be significant partial predictors for language, with a higher lesion load being associated with poorer language performance. Combined lesions were also a significant partial predictor for delayed recall, with a higher lesion load correlating with poorer performance in the delayed recall domain.

Keywords: cognitive status, acute ischemic stroke, lesion location