Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Dual-Task Stroop Paradigm for Detecting Cognitive Deficits in High-Functioning Stroke Patients
Published on: December 16, 2022
Frequency and determinants of poststroke cognitive impairment at three and twelve months in Chile
Carolina Delgado1, Archibaldo Donoso, Patricia Orellana
1Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. cdelgado @ med.uchile.cl
Insights
Poststroke cognitive impairment (CI) affects many stroke survivors in Latin America, with dementia occurring in 22% at one year. Key factors include stroke severity and white matter changes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Public Health
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Previous studies indicated a higher risk of poststroke cognitive impairment (CI) in Hispanic populations within the US.
- Systematic investigation of poststroke CI in Latin America was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency and identify the determinants of poststroke CI in the hispano-mestizo population of Santiago, Chile.
- To provide crucial data on cognitive outcomes following stroke in a Latin American context.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study enrolled patients over 60 years old admitted for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
- Cognitive status was assessed at 3 and 12 months post-stroke using questionnaires, neuropsychological tests, and clinical diagnosis.
- Regression models analyzed cardiovascular risk factors, brain imaging, and stroke features to identify CI determinants.
Main Results:
- Out of 164 recruited patients, 66% had CI at 3 months and 39% had CI (without dementia) at 12 months.
- New-onset dementia was diagnosed in 22% of patients at 1 year.
- Independent determinants for dementia included higher functional impairment at hospital discharge (OR=4.0), left-hemisphere large-vessel infarction (OR=6.9), and greater white matter changes (OR=1.3).
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first data on poststroke CI in Latin America.
- The frequencies and determinants of poststroke CI in this Chilean cohort were comparable to those observed in other ethnic groups globally.
Background:
A higher risk of poststroke cognitive impairment (CI) has been reported in Hispanics in a US cohort but has not been systematically studied in Latin America.
Objectives:
Our purpose was to investigate the frequencies and determinants of poststroke CI in the hispano-mestizo population of Santiago, Chile.
Methods:
A prospective study of hospitalized patients aged >60 years admitted with an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke was conducted. The cognitive status was determined at 3 and 12 months after the stroke by informant questionnaires, neuropsychological testing and clinical diagnosis. Cardiovascular risk factors, brain imaging and stroke features were analyzed using regression models to establish determinants for poststroke CI.
Results:
A total of 164 patients (mean age = 72 +/- 7.5 years) were recruited. Out of 122 patients (74%) evaluated at 3 months, 81 (66%) had CI. Out of 101 patients (62%) evaluated at 12 months, 39 (39%) had CI no dementia, and 22 (22%) were demented. The new-onset dementia frequency at 1 year was 16%. Independent determinants for dementia were higher functional impairment at hospital egress (OR = 4.0), left-hemisphere large-vessel infarction (OR = 6.9) and a larger amount of white matter changes (OR = 1.3).
Conclusions:
In this first study on poststroke CI in Latin America, the frequencies and determinants of poststroke CI were similar to those in other cohorts of different ethnic origin.
