COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN ISCHEMIC STROKES - PSYCHOMETRIC, ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND CRANIAL TOMOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT

Global and specific cognitive functions were assessed in 57 patients w ith ischemic strokes subjected to clinical neuropsychiatric, psychomet ric, electrophysiological and cranial tomographic evaluation. Patients did significantly worse than normal controls in the Blessed dementia scale, Sandoz clinical assessment geriatric scale but not the Folstein mini-mental state examination. Of the specific cognitive functions, a ttention and psychomotor performance were significantly impaired in st roke patients when compared to normal controls. The impairment in glob al cognitive functions, attention and psychomotor performance was more evident in chronic than acute cases. Increasing age correlated positi vely to the deterioration in psychomotor performance and perception. C ranial tomographic size of infarction was significantly related to glo bal cognitive as well as intentional (sensory) memory impairment. The more marked the conventional electroencephalographic abnormalities, th e more impaired were the global cognitive functions. High limit of the theta percent power correlated positively to deterioration in psychom otor performance. All P300 parameters except amplitude correlated sign ificantly with impairment of global cognitive function and psychomotor performance in stroke patients.