Individuals with first-ever clinical presentation of a lacunar infarction syndrome: Is there an increased likelihood of developing mild cognitive impairment in the first 12 months after stroke?

Patients who have suffered a single clinical lacunar syndrome, in the absence of any previous clinical stroke, have a varying neuroradiological profile. We examined general cognition in 30 nonaphasic first-ever lacunar syndrome participants, using a battery of standard clinical neuropsychological measures. At a group level, stroke participants did not demonstrate any cognitive impairment relative to well-matched community-based controls up to 12 months after stroke. There was also no evidence of increased frequencies of mild cognitive impairment after a single clinical lacunar syndrome relative to matched control participants within the first year post-stroke. The current findings represent the first investigation of the cognitive outcome of nonaphasic individuals who have a first-ever clinical lacunar syndrome. It was concluded that a clinically diagnosed first ever stroke event, presenting as a lacunar syndrome, was not associated with an elevated risk of developing mild cognitive impairment 12 months post-stroke.