Cerebral Microbleeds and Depression in Lacunar Stroke

Background and Purpose-Cerebral microbleeds (CMB) are common in stroke survivors and the community-dwelling elderly. The clinical significance of CMB in the development of depression after a stroke is unknown. This study examined the association between poststroke depression (PSD) and CMB. Methods-A cohort of 235 patients with acute lacunar stroke admitted to the stroke unit of a university-affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong was recruited. Three months after the onset of the index stroke, a research assistant administered the locally validated 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. PSD was defined as a Genetic Depression Scale score of >= 7. The presence and location of CMB were evaluated with MRI. Results-In comparison with the non-PSD group, PSD patients were more likely to have lobar CMB (33.3% versus 19.9%; P = 0.022). Lobar CMB remained an independent predictor of PSD in the multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 2.08 (P = 0.032). Conclusions-The results suggest that lobar CMB may play a role in the development of PSD. The importance of CMB in the pathogenesis of depression in stroke survivors and the general elderly population warrants further investigation. (Stroke. 2011;42:2443-2446.)