Impaired Motor Speed, Visuospatial Episodic Memory and Verbal Fluency Characterize Cognition in Long-Term Stroke Survivors: The Tromsø Study

The cognitive function after stroke is examined in acute and subacute phase, but poorly characterized in long-term stroke survivors. This paper discusses cognitive function among long-term stroke survivors, with matched stroke-free subjects, based on a population survey. General cognition, verbal, e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroepidemiology
Main Authors: Engstad, Torgeir, Almkvist, Ove, Viitanen, Matti, Arnesen, Egil
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: S. Karger AG 2003
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000072921
https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/72921
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Summary:The cognitive function after stroke is examined in acute and subacute phase, but poorly characterized in long-term stroke survivors. This paper discusses cognitive function among long-term stroke survivors, with matched stroke-free subjects, based on a population survey. General cognition, verbal, executive and visuospatial function, memory, attention, and motor speed were tested as well as motor function in upper extremities. Stroke survivors and controls were most effectively discriminated by means of motor speed, followed by visuospatial episodic memory and verbal fluency. This pattern of cognitive disturbances may be a consequence of cerebral lesions in frontal subcortical areas, and is different from Alzheimer’s disease.