Impact of early post-stroke affective and motivational disorders on functional outcome of ischemic stroke patients

(1) The aim of the study was to assess the severity and impact of affective and motivational disorders on the functional outcome of patients in the acute period of ischemic stroke. (2) Materials and methods. A total of 100 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke in the carotid basin were examined. On admission and at the time of treatment completion, all patients were assessed for stroke severity (NIHSS), patient's activities of daily living (BI), degree of disability (mRS) and cognitive decline in (MoCA). Neuropsychological testing using HADS, BPAQ -24, and AES scales was performed on the 5th day of hospitalization. For statistical data processing, we used the standard application software package SPSS Statistics V23.0 for Windows, Python programming language, Pandas and SciPy libraries. (3) Results. One-third of patients had clinical/subclinical depression and anxiety, a medium level of apathy, and moderate physical aggression. The greatest comorbidity was demonstrated with respect to measures of depression, apathy, and physical aggression, the combination of which was found in 20-23% of cases. Apathy, physical aggression and depression were the main factors affecting functional outcome in relation to MoCA. Depression and general aggression had an impact on the patient's prognosis for IB independence. Correlation analysis, in relation to functional outcome by mRS and NIHSS scales, revealed a significant positive correlation of mRS score with apathy and NIHSS with general aggression. (4) Conclusion. Knowledge of the clinical manifestations of post-stroke affective and motivational disorders will enhance rehabilitation options and predict the functional outcome of the stroke patient.