The assessment of cognitive functions in patients with isolated cerebellar infarctions: A follow-up study.

The role of the cerebellum on cognitive functions have been well-defined; however, the information related to the progress in time process is limited. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cognitive function of patients with isolated cerebellar infarction in both the acute stage and the follow-up period. Twenty-three patients with isolated cerebellar infarction and 22 healthy control were examined through an extensive neuropsychological assessment battery. The patients were evaluated in the acute stage and at least six months after the stroke in the follow-up period. There were no significant differences between the patients and the controls regarding age (52.2 ± 7.0 and 54.9 ± 6.6, p = 0.184) and gender (Female/Male: 6/17 and 7/15, p = 0.672). There was no statistically significant difference between patients with right cerebellar infarction and left cerebellar infarction in terms of cognitive functions. Verbal fluency, attention, and verbal and non-verbal episodic memory scores were significantly lower in patient group in the acute stage when compared to the control group. When the follow-up evaluation was compared to acute stage, it was revealed that patients had recovered in all areas; however, less improvement was seen in word reading time. Our results support that lesions of the cerebellum affect cognitive functions in the acute stage. However, the improvement was demonstrated in all cognitive functions in the follow-up period.

Pulmonary physiotherapy and aerobic exercise programs can improve cognitive functions and functional ability.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The increasing prevalence of dementia over the previous decades has been accompanied by numerous social and economic problems. The importance of exercise in the prevention of dementia coupled with the impact of aspiration pneumonia on the mortality and morbidity of dementia patients cannot be overstated. This study investigates the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation combined with aerobic stretching exercises on the cognitive function, life quality, effort capacity, and level of depression in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the early stages of dementia. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with MCI diagnosis were routinely monitored, and six were excluded because they did not attend the follow-up appointments. The remaining 63 patients undertook pulmonary physiotherapy (PPT) and extremity exercises for six months. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE), six-minute walk test (6MWT), Nottingham health profile (NHP), and Beck depression inventory (BDI) scores were evaluated before and after exercise. RESULTS: PPT plus extremity exercises appeared to significantly improve the MMSE scores and increase the 6MWT (p < 0.001) by an average of 25 m. No significant improvement was observed in the BDI and NHP scores. CONCLUSION: PPT and aerobic exercise positively affected the cognitive ability of MCI patients and improved their walking distance. These results underscore the importance of combining medical treatment with physical rehabilitation at the onset of dementia, a disease which exerts a significantly negative impact on the economy.