Site of lesion in stroke and its relation to depression

ABSTRACT

A total of 174 patients [103 males and 71 females] suffering from acute stroke was recruited for this study. All patients were subjected to complete and thorough neurological history and examination on admission, mini-mental state examination [MMSE], CT scanning of the brain within 72 hours after the onset of stroke and Barthel daily living test to compare the physical disability before stroke with that at the time of neurological examination. Six months after the stroke, the patients underwent complete and thorough psychiatric evaluation according to DSM-IV, Barthel daily living test and Beck Depression Inventory. Sixty-two patients met the DSM-IV criteria for depressive disorder. Three significant correlates for post-stroke depression were identified; namely, female gender, severity of disability and volume of lesion. Left hemisphere lesions were significantly more associated with post-stroke depression than right hemisphere lesions. Within the left hemisphere, anterior lesions were significantly more associated with post-stroke depression than the posterior ones