Pathological correlates of poststroke depression in elderly patients.
OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the relationship between poststroke depression and location of stroke.


METHODS
They performed a clinicopathological analysis of 95 consecutively autopsied elderly initial-stroke survivors.


RESULTS
The severity of brain vessel arteriosclerosis and frequency of brain vascular lesions were not significantly different between 21 cases with poststroke depression and 74 cases without. Earlier death was the only variable significantly associated with poststroke depression. No lesion pattern characterized the depression group.


CONCLUSIONS
Neuropathological data confirm that depression is associated with worse prognosis in elderly stroke patients and lend support to the hypothesis that psychological rather than neurological factors are the main determinants of poststroke depression.
Bozikas
Vasilis P
VP
Department of Psychiatry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece. vpbozikas@oneway.gr
Gold
Gabriel
G
Kövari
Enikö
E
Herrmann
Francois
F
Karavatos
Athanasios
A
Giannakopoulos
Panteleimon
P
Bouras
Constantin
C
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*