Clinical efficacy of idebenone in stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment, and its effect on regional homogeneity of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Idebenone in stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment, and its effect on regional homogeneity (ReHo) of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) of the brain.
 Methods: One hundred and twenty stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of the China Rehabilitation Research Center Beijing Boai Hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly divided into control group and study group. Control group was treated with nimodipine, while the study group received a combination of nimodipine and idebenone.
 Results: Clinical efficacy was higher in the study group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Scores on Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and activity of daily living scale (ADL) were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in both groups after treatment, but scores for MoCA and ADL were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group (p < 0.05). After 6 months of treatment, there were significantly more patients with improved clinical dementia rating (CDR)in the study group than in the control group (p < 0.05).
 Conclusion: The use of idebenone and nimodipine for treatment of stroke patients with cognitive dysfunction leads to significant improvement in clinical outcomes, and enhancement of cognitive function and quality of life, due to improved brain function in the precuneus. However, the mechanism involved in the combination therapy-induced enhancement of cognitive function requires further investigation.
 Keywords: Stroke; Cognitive dysfunction; Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain; Regional homogeneity; Quality of life