AUTHOR=Qu Jian-Feng , Hu Hui-Hong , Liu Jian-Fei , Zhou Yue-Qiong , Cheng Wei-Yang , Shi Lin , Luo Yi-Shan , Zhao Lei , Chen Yang-Kun 

TITLE=Larger deep white matter hyperintensity volume correlates with more severe social behavioral changes in patients with subacute ischemic stroke

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1259690

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2023.1259690

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Background</title><p>Changes in social behavior can occur after ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the potential correlations between neuroimaging variables and changes in social behavior in patients who experienced subacute ischemic stroke.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>We prospectively screened patients with first-ever ischemic stroke. Three months after the index stroke, changes in patients’ social behavior were investigated by the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI), which consists of both deficit and positive groups of behaviors. The protocol of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including the baseline MRI at the acute stage and additional MRI with three-dimensional T1-weighted imaging on follow-up. Using these MRI scans, we assessed the acute infarction and the volumes of various brain structures by an automatic volumetry tool.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>Eighty patients were enrolled. In univariate analyses, patients with deficit behavioral changes had more left cortical infarction (<italic>r</italic> = 0.271, <italic>p</italic> = 0.015), Cholinergic Pathways Hyperintensities Scale scores (<italic>r</italic> = 0.227, <italic>p</italic> = 0.042), DWMH volumes (<italic>r</italic> = 0.349, <italic>p</italic> = 0.001), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores (<italic>r</italic> = 0.392, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Patients with positive behavioral changes had more frequency of men (<italic>r</italic> = 0.229, <italic>p</italic> = 0.041) and a history of hypertension (<italic>r</italic> = 0.245, <italic>p</italic> = 0.028). In multiple stepwise linear regression models, after adjusting for age, deep WMH volumes (<italic>β</italic> = 0.849, 95% confidence interval = 0.352–1.346, <italic>p</italic> = 0.001) and mRS scores on follow-up (<italic>β</italic> = 1.821, 95% confidence interval = 0.881–2.76, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) were significantly correlated with deficit behavioral changes (<italic>R</italic><sup>2</sup> = 0.245).</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Larger deep WMH volumes and poorer mRS scores on follow-up were significantly correlated with deficit behavioral changes in patients with subacute ischemic stroke.</p></sec>