Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
A Pediatric Concussion Model in Mice: Closed Head Injury with Long-Term Disorders (CHILD)
Published on: February 7, 2025
Neuropsychological sequelae following pediatric stroke: a nonlinear model of age at lesion effects
Claire Allman1, Richard B Scott
1Russell Cairns Unit, Department of Neuropsychology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom. Allman.claire@googlemail.com
Insights
Children aged 1-6 years with arterial ischemic stroke showed better neuropsychological outcomes. Left hemisphere strokes were associated with poorer outcomes compared to right hemisphere strokes in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Neuropsychology
- Developmental neuroscience
Background:
- Pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) outcomes and brain recovery patterns are debated.
- Age at stroke onset may influence neuropsychological development, with conflicting theories on brain plasticity versus vulnerability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine neuropsychological outcomes in children after AIS.
- To assess the impact of age at lesion, lesion side, time since stroke, and neurological deficits on recovery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 44 children with AIS.
- Participants grouped by age at stroke: infancy (1 month-1 year), early childhood (1-6 years), and late childhood (6-16 years).
- Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments were administered.
Main Results:
- Children with AIS performed significantly worse on neuropsychological tests than normative samples.
- A stroke between 1 and 6 years old was linked to better preserved neuropsychological profiles compared to earlier or later strokes.
- Left hemisphere lesions correlated with poorer neuropsychological performance than right hemisphere lesions.
Conclusions:
- Age at the time of stroke is a critical factor influencing recovery and cognitive outcomes.
- Lesion location (hemisphere) also impacts neuropsychological results in pediatric AIS.
Aim:
The distribution and quality of brain recovery following pediatric arterial ischemic stroke remains controversial. The literature suggests that age at stroke may be an important modulator of neuropsychological outcome, with reports inferring either greater vulnerability or plasticity in the nascent brain. Our aim was to investigate neuropsychological outcomes following pediatric stroke in a clinical sample with reference to age at lesion, lesion laterality, elapsed time from stroke to assessment, and persistent neurological sequelae.
Methods:
Using comprehensive neuropsychological assessment batteries, we investigated retrospectively a large (n = 44) and evenly distributed group of children who had ischemic stroke during "infancy" (1 month to 1 year), "early childhood" (1 to 6 years), and "late childhood" (6 to 16 years).
Results:
Children who suffered a stroke performed significantly worse on a range of neuropsychological measures when compared to a normative sample. However, children who suffered a stroke between 1 and 6 years old demonstrated better preserved neuropsychological profiles than either the earlier (before age 1) or later (after age 6) age groups. In addition, those children suffering a left hemisphere lesion performed more poorly on a range of neuropsychological measures than did children with right hemisphere lesions.
Interpretation:
Age at stroke is an important determinant of recovery following insult and may modulate neuropsychological and cognitive outcome.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology
01:15Ischemic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology