Correlation between Functional Evaluation Scales and Cognitive Evoked Potentials in Patients with Chronic Stroke

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between functional evaluation scales and cognitive evoked potentials (CEPs) in chronic stroke patients. METHOD: Ten chronic stroke patients with middle cerebral arterial infarction (age 53.6+/-15.7 years, 5 men, 5 women, duration 210.5+/-143.2 days) were recruited. Korean mini-mental status examination (K-MMSE) scores of the subjects were ranked between 15~24 points and the grades of Rancho Los Amigos level of cognitive function of the subjects were VI or VII. They received physical therapy using neuro-developmental technique and cognitive rehabilitation twice a day, 5 times a week, for total 4 weeks. Before and after the treatment, cognitive function tests including K-MMSE, Loewenstein occupational therapy cognitive assessment (LOTCA) and motor-free visual perception test (MVPT) and functional ability tests including functional independence measure (FIM) and Korean version of National Institutes of Health stroke scale (K-NIHSS) were done and CEPs were recorded. RESULTS: The scores of K-MMSE, LOTCA, MVPT, FIM and K-NIHSS showed significant improvement, respectively (p<0.05). The P300 latencies significantly decreased from 420.2+/-34.8 msec to 391.5+/-36.4 msec (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between the percentage of change of P300 latencies and each percentage of change of K-MMSE, LOTCA and MVPT (r=0.863, p=0.001; r=0.745, p=0.013; r=0.806, p=0.005). There were significant correlations between the percentage of change of P300 latencies and each percentage of change of FIM and K-NIHSS (r=0.758, p=0.011; r=0.743, p=0.014). CONCLUSION: The CEPs would be a useful method for reflecting the effect of neuro-cognitive rehabilitation treatment and predicting the functional recovery in chronic stroke patients.