Dimensions of Poststroke Depression and Neuropsychological Deficits in Older Adults

ObjectivePoststroke depression (PSD) has a heterogeneous presentation and is often accompanied by cognitive impairment. This study aimed to identify distinct dimensions of depressive symptoms in older adults with PSD and to evaluate their relationship to cognitive functioning.DesignCross-sectional factor and correlational analyses of patients with poststroke depression.SettingPatients were recruited from the community and from acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation hospitals.ParticipantsParticipants had suffered a stroke and met DSM-IV criteria for major depression (≥18 Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale; MADRS).InterventionNone.MeasurementsMADRS was used to quantify depression severity at study entry. Neuropsychological assessment at the time of study entry consisted of measures of Global Cognition, Attention, Executive Function, Processing Speed, Immediate Memory, Delayed Memory, and Language.ResultsThere were 135 (age ≥50) older adult participants with PSD and varying degrees of cognitive impairment (MMSE Total ≥20). Factor analysis of the MADRS identified three factors, that is sadness, distress, and apathy. Items comprising each factor were totaled and correlated with neuropsychological domain z-score averages. Symptoms of the apathy factor (lassitude, inability to feel) were significantly associated with greater impairment in executive function, memory, and global cognition. Symptoms of the sadness and distress factors had no relationship to cognitive impairment.ConclusionPSD consists of three correlated dimensions of depressive symptoms. Apathy symptoms are associated with cognitive impairment across several neuropsychological domains. PSD patients with prominent apathy may benefit from careful attention to cognitive functions and by interventions that address both psychopathology and behavioral deficits resulting from cognitive impairment.     

卒中后左侧偏瘫患者下肢步行能力预后的相关因素分析

目的 探讨影响左侧偏瘫患者下肢步行能力康复疗效的相关因素,为评测下肢步行能力的预后预 测提供临床依据。 方法 对64例卒中导致左侧偏瘫患者,进行常规康复训练1个月,治疗前对其采用简易认知功能评 定量表（mini-mental status examination,MMSE）、洛文斯顿作业疗法用认知评定成套测验（Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment,LOTCA）、运动保持困难（Motor Impersistence,MI）、 Schenkenberg等分线段量表、Albert划线、字母删除试验等量表进行认知功能评测。并于治疗前和治疗 后采用Brunnstrom运动功能分期、Berg平衡量表中的独立坐、立位平衡项目、Holden步行功能分级、改良 的Barthel指数等量表,对患者肢体功能等进行评分。应用多元逐步回归分析分析治疗前的上述因素与 下肢功能及步行能力恢复程度之间的关系。 结果 步行能力的恢复程度与训练前的LOTCA的思维运作能力评分及立位平衡能力呈正相关 （P <0.01）;与运动保持困难量表评分及注意力的障碍程度呈负相关（P <0.01）。 结论 训练前LOTCA的思维运作能力、立位平衡能力、注意力、运动保持困难量表评分对卒中后左 侧偏瘫患者的下肢步行能力的预后预测有帮助。     

Residual Flow Signals Predict Complete Recanalization in Stroke Patients Treated With TPA

BACKGROUND: Residual blood flow around thrombus prior to treatment predicts success of coronary thrombolysis. The authors aimed to correlate the presence of residual flow signals in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) with completeness of recanalization after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). METHODS: The authors studied consecutive patients treated with intravenous TPA therapy who had a proximal MCA occlusion on pretreatment transcranial Doppler (TCD). Patients were continuously monitored for 2 hours after TPA bolus. Absent residual flow signals correspond to the thrombolysis in brain ischemia (TIBI) 0 grade, and the presence of residual flow signals was determined as TIBI 1-3 flow grades. Complete recanalization was defined as flow improvement to TIBI grades 4-5. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients with a proximal MCA occlusion had median pre-bolus NIHSS 16 (85% with > or = 10 points). TPA bolus was given at 141 +/- 56 minutes (median 120 minutes). Complete recanalization was observed in 25 (33%), partial in 23 (31%), and no early recanalization was seen in 27 (36%) patients within 2 hours after TPA bolus. Only 19% with absent residual flow signals (TIBI grade 0, n = 26) on pretreatment TCD had complete early recanalization. If pretreatment TCD showed the presence of any residual flow (TIBI 1-3, n = 49), 41% had complete recanalization within 2 hours of TPA bolus (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with detectable residual flow signals before IV TPA bolus are twice as likely to have early complete recanalization. Those with no detectable residual flow signals have less than 20% chance for complete early recanalization with intravenous TPA and may be candidates for intra-arterial therapies.     

卒中后失语患者抑郁的诊断现状

卒中后抑郁(post stroke depression,PSD)是卒中后一个常见的并发症.它延缓卒中的恢复,增加了卒中的发病率、致残率和病死率,使患者的认知功能下降,给患者带来沉重的经济负担<'[1-4]>.     

Concentration and Memory Deficits in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

The present study compared 30 patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FS) to 30 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and estimated intellectual level on standardized measures of attention, concentration, and memory as well as subjective ratings of memory abilities and sleep quality. In addition, in order to investigate the relationship between cognitive functioning and other physical and psychological symptoms, subjects with FS completed psychological measures of pain severity, trait anxiety, and depression. Results indicated that patients with FS performed more poorly on tests of immediate and delayed recall, and sustained auditory concentration, and their ratings of both their memory abilities and sleep quality were lower than those of controls. Furthermore, perceived memory deficits of the FS subjects were disproportionately greater than their objective deficits. Results indicated significant correlations between performance on memory and concentration measures and scores on questionnaires of pain severity and trait anxiety. Implications of these results for multidisciplinary treatment programs are discussed.     

Residual Language Deficits in Optimal Outcome Children with a History of Autism

This study examined whether language deficits persist even in children with optimal outcomes. We examined a group of children with prior diagnoses on the autism spectrum who had IQs in the normal range, were in age-appropriate mainstream classes, and had improved to such an extent that they were considered to be functioning at the level of their typically developing peers. Fourteen such children between the ages of five and nine were matched on age and sex with typically developing children, and were given a battery of 10 language tests to investigate their language abilities. Results indicated that while these children's grammatical capabilities are mostly indistinguishable from their peers, they are still experiencing difficulties in pragmatic and semantic language.     

Focal Sleep Spindle Deficits Reveal Focal Thalamocortical Dysfunction and Predict Cognitive Deficits in Sleep Activated Developmental Epilepsy

Childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (CECTS) is the most common focal epilepsy syndrome, yet the cause of this disease remains unknown. Now recognized as a mild epileptic encephalopathy, children exhibit sleep-activated focal epileptiform discharges and cognitive difficulties during the active phase of the disease. The association between the abnormal electrophysiology and sleep suggests disruption to thalamocortical circuits. Thalamocortical circuit dysfunction resulting in pathologic epileptiform activity could hinder the production of sleep spindles, a brain rhythm essential for memory processes. Despite this pathophysiologic connection, the relationship between spindles and cognitive symptoms in epileptic encephalopathies has not been previously evaluated. A significant challenge limiting such work has been the poor performance of available automated spindle detection methods in the setting of sharp activities, such as epileptic spikes. Here, we validate a robust new method to accurately measure sleep spindles in patients with epilepsy. We then apply this detector to a prospective cohort of male and female children with CECTS with combined high-density EEGs during sleep and cognitive testing at varying time points of disease. We show that: (1) children have a transient, focal deficit in spindles during the symptomatic phase of disease; (2) spindle rate anticorrelates with spike rate; and (3) spindle rate, but not spike rate, predicts performance on cognitive tasks. These findings demonstrate focal thalamocortical circuit dysfunction and provide a pathophysiological explanation for the shared seizures and cognitive symptoms in CECTS. Further, this work identifies sleep spindles as a potential treatment target of cognitive dysfunction in this common epileptic encephalopathy.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is the most common idiopathic focal epilepsy syndrome, characterized by self-limited focal seizures and cognitive symptoms. Here, we provide the first evidence that focal thalamocortical circuit dysfunction underlies the shared seizures and cognitive dysfunction observed. In doing so, we identify sleep spindles as a mechanistic biomarker, and potential treatment target, of cognitive dysfunction in this common developmental epilepsy and provide a novel method to reliably quantify spindles in brain recordings from patients with epilepsy.     

高血压脑出血卒中后抑郁风险因素相关性研究

目的 探讨高血压脑出血患者卒中后抑郁相关影响因素。方法 前瞻性录入65例急性高血压脑出血患者临床和计算机断层扫描（computer tomography,CT）影像资料,评估患者发病14d和3个月卒中后抑郁发生情况及生存质量状况,对临床资料和CT影像特征与卒中后抑郁的关系进行单因素和多因素分析。结果 65例患者中有57例完成14d随访,53例完成3个月随访。脑出血发病14d和3个月卒中后抑郁的发生率分别为35.1%和38.9％。单因素分析显示入院后首次美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表评分（thenational institutes of health stroke scale, NIHSS）与高血压脑出血发病后14d卒中后抑郁相关（P =0.027）。性别、出血部位和出血量与脑出血发病后3个月卒中后抑郁相关：与非抑郁组比较,抑郁组患者男性比例较低（P =0.038）,基底节出血比例较高（P =0.031）,平均出血量大（P =0.046）。多因素分析显示出血量是高血压脑出血患者发病3个月卒中后抑郁的风险预测因素（P =0.049）。结论 NIHSS评分和CT影像特征可作为高血压脑出血卒中后抑郁的评价指标,将CT影像与神经功能缺损程度评分有机结合可为脑出血综合性治疗策略的建立提供客观依据。     

Reduced Serum Adiponectin Level and Risk of Poststroke Depression in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Background and Aims: Decreased adiponectin (APN) level has been indicated to be associated with depression. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether serum APN could predict poststroke depression (PSD) at 3 months in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Method: Patients with first-ever ischemic stroke and hospitalized within 24 hours of symptoms onset were enrolled prospectively during March 2017 to September 2017. Serum APN level was measured at admission by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Neuropsychological evaluations were performed at the 3-month follow-up. PSD was diagnosed using the Chinese version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. The association between APN level and predict PSD was analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 255 acute ischemic stroke patients included, the median (interquartile range) APN level was 5.4 (3.0-7.5) μg/mL. PSD was observed in 69 patients, which accounted for 27.1% (95% confidence interval, 24.3%-29.9%) of the cohort. Patients with PSD showed lower level of APN (3.5 [2.5-6.3] μg/mL versus 6.2 [3.5-8.0] μg/mL, P?=?.001) at admission. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that patients with APN level in the first tertile compared with the third tertile were more likely to have PSD (odds ratio, 3.550; 95% confidence interval, 1.732-7.276; P?=?.008). The association remained significant even after multivariable adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that decreased APN level at admission might be associated with PSD in patients after acute ischemic stroke.     

Awareness of Deficits and On-Road Driving Performance

This study examined the relationship of neuropsychological and on-road driving evaluations among adults with acquired brain injury (ABI), and the extent to which that relationship is moderated by awareness of deficit. Participants were 62 pairs of adults with ABI and significant-other informants and 40 healthy controls (N?=?102). Adults with ABI and controls completed neuropsychological and on-road evaluations. Multiple regression indicated that neuropsychological performance and the interaction between awareness of deficit and neuropsychological performance each explained significant variance in driving performance (i.e., the relationship between neuropsychological performance and on-road outcome depends on level of awareness). The moderation effect was illustrated by different relationships between neuropsychological and on-road performances among awareness groups: Among adults with impaired awareness (n?=?21), neuropsychological functioning was substantially related to driving outcomes; in contrast, driving outcome showed weak relation to neuropsychological functioning among those with intact awareness (n?=?24) or hypervigilance (n?=?17) toward deficits. An exception was that processing speed showed modest relation to on-road outcome for all groups, including controls. Awareness of deficit has a considerable influence on driving outcomes both directly and as a moderator between the relationship of neuropsychological functioning and driving performance. When adults with ABI lack appreciation for their impairments, their neuropsychological status is especially important in predicting driving outcomes.     

注意资源理论在卒中后失语患者康复中的应用

传统上一直将失语症仅归因于语言学因素,但是单纯语言学模型并不能解释失语患者的某些表现。因此,研究者开始关注并考察高级认知加工对语言的影响。其中注意资源理论（attention resources theory）用于解释失语中的某些问题,例如注意资源有限或注意分配效率降低会导致语言任务成绩下降。本文综述了应用注意资源理论及双任务实验范式对卒中后失语患者注意分配进行的相关研究,以及有关注意训练在言语康复治疗中的应用。这对制定失语患者相应的康复训练措施具有潜在应用价值。     

Factors Influencing Oral Intake Improvement and Feeding Tube Dependency in Patients with Poststroke Dysphagia

Objective: To assess ischemic stroke patients regarding the relationship between lesion locations, swallowing impairment, medical and demographic factors and (1) oral intake improvement and (2) feeding tube dependency at discharge from their acute hospital stay. Methods: We conducted an exploratory, retrospective observational longitudinal cohort study of acute, first-ever, ischemic stroke patients. Patients who had an initial nonoral feeding recommendation from a speech and language pathologist and who underwent a modified barium swallow study within their hospital stay were included. Oral intake status was measured with the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) as the change in FOIS during the hospital stay and as feeding tube dependency at hospital discharge. Associations were assessed with multiple linear regression modeling controlling for age, comorbidities, and hospital length of stay. Results: We included 44 stroke patients. At hospital discharge, 93% of patients had oral intake restrictions and 30% were feeding tube dependent. Following multiple linear regression modeling, age, damage to the left superior frontal gyrus, dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus, hypothalamus, and nucleus accumbens were significant predictors for FOIS change. Feeding tube dependency showed no significant associations with any prognostic variables when controlling for confounders. Conclusions: The vast majority of patients with an initial nonoral feeding recommendation are discharged with oral intake restrictions indicating a continued need for swallowing assessments and treatment after discharge. Lesion locations associated with motivation, reward, and drive to consume food as well as swallowing impairment, higher age, and more comorbidities were related to less oral intake improvement.