20Jul
The treatment of depression following a stroke improves cognitive function for at least two years, according to US psychiatrists.
After a stroke, cognitive problems are common and may be made worse by depression. Although it has been shown that treatment of the depression can often improve cognitive functioning, it was unclear for how long.
Researchers from the University of Iowa reassessed and compared 17 depressed stroke patients after successful treatment of their depression with 42 non-depressed stroke patients who remained non-depressed throughout the follow-up. Mood and cognitive function continued to be assessed over two years.
Both cognition and depression had improved during three months of antidepressant treatment, and were maintained over two years. For non-depressed stroke patients, cognitive ability remained stable for the entire study period. At two years, the MMSE scores for the depressed and non-depressed groups were nearly identical but were lower than the population-based norm.
‘To our knowledge, this is the first time that treatment or remission of post-stroke depression has been shown to produce a cognitive improvement that lasts more than two years if no subsequent illness occurs,’ the researchers say.
They suggest there is a need for early detection and treatment of post-stroke depression in order to maximise cognitive function.
