title: Depressive signs and cognitive performance in patients with a right hemisphere stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the influence of suggestive signs of depression (SSD) in right-hemisphere brain-damaged (RHD) patients following a stroke on their cognitive performance measured by a brief neuropsychological assessment battery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two adults with RHD after a single episode of stroke and 84 matched controls participated in this study. They were assessed by means of the Geriatric Depression Scale and by Brief Neuropsychological Assessment Battery NEUPSILIN.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost half of the patients showed SSD. The RHD group with SSD (RHD+) showed poorer performance in at least one task among all evaluated cognitive domains (concentrated attention, visual perception, working memory, episodic verbal memory and semantic memory, auditory and written language, constructional praxia and verbal fluency).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of depression and RHD seems to enhance the occurrence and the severity of cognitive déficits. A brief neuropsychological assessment can be useful to identify cognitive impairment caused by this neuropsychiatric disorder.
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila Rosa de
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karina Carlesso
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Pagliarin
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luara de Freitas
authors.initials: Lde F
authors.lastname: Calvette
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gigiane
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gindri
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Irani Iracema de Lima
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Argimon
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rochele Paz
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Fonseca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology