Post-stroke Cognitive Impairment
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: First-ever Ischemic Stroke, Cognitive Performance. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Switzerland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Prediction of Post-stroke Cognitive Decline and Dementia: Impact of Cognitive Reserve and Post-stroke Life Style
Overview
Present study aims to track the post-stroke cognitive trajectories and to investigate its inter-individual variability.
Detailed description
The study aim is to establish a model capturing patients' inter-individual variability in susceptibility to stroke damage to predict stroke-induced cognitive trajectories. This is a prospective longitudinal observational national monocentric study for 6 years (recruitment during the first 3 years). The investigators perform comprehensive neuropsychological testing in i) acute stroke phase (0-10 days post-stroke), ii) sub-acute stroke phase (3 months post-stroke), and iii) chronic stroke phase (12 months and 3 years post-stroke). At each time point, cognitive performances as well as clinical and functional status will be assessed. Furthermore, the investigators will assess the proxies of cognitive reserve and the level of post-stroke physical activity.
Analyses of the longitudinal dataset, including follow-up assessments up to 36 months post-stroke, indicated an attrition rate of up to 50%, partly attributable to post-stroke mortality. This level of attrition resulted in a substantial reduction in effective sample size and, consequently, insufficient statistical power for the planned prediction models and independent validation analyses. In particular, the reduced number of complete cases limited the robustness and generalizability of the findings. Therefore, following a recruitment pause on 02.10.2023, patient recruitment was resumed on 05.08.2025 after securing additional funding and dedicated study personnel to ensure adequate sample size for model development and validation.
Primary outcome measures
- Number of participants with delayed cognitive deterioration (DCD) [Time frame: at 3 months, at 12 months and at 36 months post-stroke]
- Number of participants with delayed functional deterioration [Time frame: at 3 months, at 12 months and at 36 months post-stroke]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Number of participants with post-stroke cognitive impairment [Time frame: 10 days post-stroke, 3 months, 12 months and at 36 months post-stroke]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age ≥18 years old
- First-ever anterior circulation ischemic stroke confirmed by routine MRI
- Time of enrollment: ≤ 10 days from stroke onset.
Exclusion criteria
- Previous stroke anamnestic or based on clinical imaging
- Additional stroke in posterior circulation
- Conditions that preclude the cognitive testing (e.g. delirium, intubation, reduced vigilance
- Neurological or psychiatric conditions that preclude the data interpretation (e.g. pre-stroke dementia, schizophrenia, brain tumor, regular intake of benzodiazepine, depression)
- MRI contraindication
- Native language other than German, French or Italian
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Switzerland · 1 center
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, University of Bern — Bern
Publications
- Umarova RM. Adapting the concepts of brain and cognitive reserve to post-stroke cognitive deficits: Implications for understanding neglect. Cortex. 2017 Dec;97:327-338. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.12.006. Epub 2016 Dec 16. PMID 28049565
- Gallucci L, Sperber C, Monsch AU, Kloppel S, Arnold M, Umarova RM. Improving diagnostic accuracy of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to identify post-stroke cognitive impairment. Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 29;14(1):20125. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-71184-x. PMID 39209968
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05653141 · Studien-Nr. 4599