Cognitive impairment in patients after first-ever ischemic stroke

The goals of this research were to describe the profile of cognitive abilities in stroke patients, compare their performance in speeded vs non-speeded tests, estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment after stroke, and analyze the differences between left- and right-sided stroke patients. This retrospective study involved 51 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke. The patients underwent neuropsychological examination 3 months after the incident stroke. The control group consisted of 30 volunteers with no history of neurological disorder. Thirty (59%) stroke patients were identified as cognitively impaired. The greatest differences between stroke patients and the control group were observed in speeded and memory tests (p < .001). Left-sided stroke patients perform significantly better in nonverbal than verbal tests (p < .001), but right-sided stroke patients did not perform significantly better in verbal than nonverbal tests. However, stroke laterality did not significantly affect general cognitive performance (p = .315). In conclusion, the prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with first-ever ischemic stroke is high. Stroke patients perform worse mainly in time-sensitive tasks. Stroke laterality does not appear to affect the general cognitive performance. Left-sided stroke patients perform better in nonverbal than verbal tests, but the difference between both test types is negligible in right-sided stroke patients The entire paper is a professional proof of the principle of work in the Eddie project, where patients are rehabilitated more efficiently and accurately according to the CHC model, even if only the result of a simple screening test was analyzed.