Frontal stroke: Problem solving, decision making, impulsiveness, and depressive symptoms in men and women.

Abstract

The present study compared men and women who suffered a frontal lobe stroke with regard to problem solving, decision making, impulsive behavior and depressive symptoms and also correlated these variables between groups. The sample was composed of 10 males and nine females. The study period was 6 months after the stroke. The following instruments were used: Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Barrat Impulsiveness Scale (BIS11), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). For the exclusion criteria of the sample, the Mini International Psychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I Plus) and Mini Mental Stage Examination (MMSE) were used. To measure functional severity post-stroke, the Rankin Scale was used. The average age was 60.90 ± 8.93 years for males and 60.44 ± 11.57 years for females. In females, total impulsiveness (p = .013) and lack of planning caused by impulsiveness (p = .028) were significantly higher compared with males, assessed by the BIS11. These data indicate that females in the present sample who suffered a chronic frontal lesion were more impulsive and presented more planning difficulties in situations without demanding cognitive processing. These results that show gender differences should be considered when planning psychotherapy and cognitive rehabilitation for patients who present these characteristics.

Post stroke depression: clinics, etiopathogenesis and therapeutics

“…Adopting such psychological perspective, Guido Gainotti's group, from the Catholic University of Rome, Italy, conducted the first systematic study of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with stroke or other brain injuries 4 . His works can be considered one of the main representatives of the idea that the depressive syndromes associated with stroke may not be "true" depressions, but a completely different category from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that would be associated with the patients' adjustment to changes in their living conditions 14 .…”

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in Brazil: a systematic review

“…The authors stated that gender differences should be considered when planning psychotherapy and cognitive rehabilitation for frontal stroke patients. 37 In total, the 36 studies analyzed 1,004 men (39.97%) and 1,508 women (60.03%).…”

“…Health-related issues were analyzed in 11 publications (31%) 21,23,26,30,[32][33][34][35]37,38,40 and covered a variety of neurological issues. Three studies 23,37,38 focused on stroke and its impact on decision-making, with one study addressing treatment implications.…”

“…Health-related issues were analyzed in 11 publications (31%) 21,23,26,30,[32][33][34][35]37,38,40 and covered a variety of neurological issues. Three studies 23,37,38 focused on stroke and its impact on decision-making, with one study addressing treatment implications. One of these studies focused on the impact of right vs. left hemisphere stroke, 38 reporting that both types of patients achieved an adequate performance on the IGT.…”

Behavioural changes as the first manifestation of a silent frontal lobe stroke

“…These personality changes in the frontal lobe can be hard to recognise because of their subacute onset. The clinical spectrum can be wide: from impulsiveness and disinhibition, to apathy, abulia or amotivational state 2…”