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Updated: May 5, 2026

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Executive dysfunction, awareness deficits and quality of life in patients with cerebral small vessel disease: a
Rebecca L Brookes1, Vanessa Herbert1, Selina Paul1
1Stroke and Dementia Research Centre, St. George's, University of London.
Objective:
To investigate the relationships between executive dysfunction, awareness deficits and perceptions of quality of life (QOL) in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).
Method:
We tested neuropsychological function with simultaneous measurement of awareness performance in 125 participants. Forty-five were carefully phenotyped patients with SVD, defined as a lacunar stroke with corresponding infarct on neuroimaging; and 80 were age-matched controls, providing a normal comparison for neuropsychological measures. Patients also completed the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale. In patients with SVD, the impact of executive dysfunction on awareness and QOL was examined simultaneously using structural equation modeling.
Results:
A simple regression indicated a positive relationship between awareness and QOL. However, when executive function was added to the model, the results showed strong relationships between executive function and awareness, and executive function and QOL, but no direct relationship between awareness and QOL.
Conclusion:
Our results show that the main neuropsychological symptom associated with SVD, namely, executive dysfunction, may predict both reductions in awareness and QOL. However, there is no direct impact of awareness deficits on QOL in patients with SVD, when executive function is included in the model.
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