title: Pontine microbleeds and depression in stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Depression is the most common affective disorder following stroke yet the neuroanatomical model of poststroke depression (PSD) remains unclear. This study examined the association between PSD and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and hypothesized that CMBs in specific regions would be associated with PSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 4766 patients with first ever or recurrent acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital between June 2004 and October 2010, 229 met the entry criteria and formed the study sample. Patients with a Geriatric Depression Scale score of 7 or above were classified as having PSD. The presence and location of CMBs were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the non-PSD group, patients with PSD were more likely to have pontine CMBs (32.0% vs 18.2%; P = .019). The presence of pontine CMBs remained an independent predictor of PSD in the multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 2.2 (P = .016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that pontine CMBs are associated with a higher risk of developing PSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China tangwk@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: X X
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongguan People's Hospital, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abrigo
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Winnie C W
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: V C T
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.affiliation: The University of Notre Dame Australia/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Western Australia, Pert, Australia.
authors.forename: Gabor S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ungvari
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: GDS; MRI; depression; microbleeds; pons; stroke