title: Microbleeds and post-stroke emotional lability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The clinical significance of microbleeds (MBs) in the development of psychiatric conditions following a stroke is unknown. Lesions located in various cortical and subcortical areas are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of post-stroke emotional lability (PSEL). This study examined the association between PSEL and MBs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 519 Chinese patients with acute ischaemic stroke consecutively admitted to the acute stroke unit of a university affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong were screened for PSEL 3 months after their index stroke. The number and location of MBs were evaluated with MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to Kim's criteria, 74 (14.3%) patients had PSEL. In comparison with the non-PSEL group, patients in the PSEL group were more likely to have MBs in the thalamus as a whole (16.2% vs 6.5%; p = 0.004), its anterior (6.9% vs 2.0%, p = 0.02) and paramedian territories (8.1% vs 3.1%; p = 0.04), and a higher number of MBs in the entire brain (1.7+3.4 vs 1.3+5.0; p = 0.031). MBs in the thalamus remained an independent predictor of PSEL in the multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 4.7 (p = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that MBs in the thalamus may play a role in the development of PSEL. The importance of MBs in PSEL and other psychiatric conditions in stroke survivors warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shatin Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China. tangwk@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: V C T
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ungvari
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Ahuja
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology