[Visual reaction times in a group of patients with single cerebrovascular lesions in rehabilitation].
Approximately fifty percent of stroke survivors have neurological deficits. The evaluation of reaction times permits a study of psychomotor performance, which could be very important for a good rehabilitation outcome.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was the evaluation of visual reaction times in a group of patients with cerebrovascular lesions, during inpatient hospitalisation in a rehabilitation centre.


METHODS
46 right-handed patients (34M, 12F) with unilateral cerebrovascular lesion, confirmed by CT or MRI, were enrolled in the study. In each patients visual Simple Reaction Times (SRT) and Multiple Choice Reaction Times (MCRT) were studied. The patients were asked to react by using the hand ipsilateral to the side of the cerebral lesion. Functional impairment of walking, upper limb and hand were measured by a tailored clinical scale with score ranging from 1 to 12. Depression was measured by a modified version of Hamilton scale, tailored for this kind of patient.


RESULTS
13 of 46 patients (28.2%) showed a pathologic reaction time. There was a lack of correlation between reaction times and age, aphasia, lesion size, time from stroke, functional impairment. Patients with hemorrhagic lesions had significantly lower SRT and MCRT. The subgroup of patients with pathologic reaction times were significantly more depressed than patients with normal reaction times.


CONCLUSIONS
Judging from the present set of results: a) patients with hemorrhagic lesions have lower reaction times; b) the prolongation of reaction times and post-stroke depression appear to be related in stroke patients. This relationship seems to suggest that post stroke depression can negatively affect functional recovery also by means of an impairment of psychomotor performance.
Buonocore
M
M
Fondazione S. Maugeri, Clinica del Lavoro e della Riabilitazione, IRCCS. mbuonocore@fsm.it
Achilli
M P
MP
Mazzucchi
G
G
Bodini
A
A
Casale
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*