OX-CHRONIC (Oxford Chronic Stroke Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long-term psychological consequences of stroke: prevalence, trajectories and impact
IRAS ID
259478
Contact name
Nele Demeyere
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Clinical Trials and Research Governance, University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 10 months, 30 days
Research summary
A stroke can damage parts of the brain that are responsible for mental faculties, such as vision and speech, but can also cause more general problems with memory, attention and planning. These problems are common after stroke, but are not characterized as well as physical consequences; particularly how these different problems impact each other and how they evolve over time, especially long-term after stroke. Most studies investigating these cognitive problems use broad assessment measures that result in either a pass or fail, which does not provide insight into more subtle impairments in specific aspects. This also means that cognitive profiles of stroke survivors are classified in an overly simplistic manner: people either recover, have dementia, or they are put in a ‘mild cognitive impairment’ class, where no clear information exists on the nature and the prognosis. Many stroke survivors will be classed as mildly impaired despite a huge variety in underlying problems.
The purpose of this project is to determine the nature of cognitive problems at more than two years post-stroke. This project also aims to understand how these milder impairments impact on people’s daily life and to help identify which information is meaningful for understanding those who are at risk of developing declining cognition, progressing from mild cognitive impairment into dementia diagnoses. To this end, we aim to complete 2 annually repeated in-depth, in-person neuropsychological assessments with 200 long-term stroke survivors. Ultimately, we hope to use this information to ensure people who need further attention are referred to specialist services early. More fundamentally, a better understanding of long-term cognitive profiles and trajectories will allow more accurate information to be communicated to patients regarding what they may expect to occur over time, and will also allow individuals to correctly recognize and report more subtle deficits, leading to improved monitoring.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0530
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion