Objective: To explore whether serum neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) levels are increased in patients with MRI-confirmed recent small subcortical infarcts (RSSI) compared to healthy controls and to determine the subsequent course and determinants of NfL levels in a longitudinal manner. Methods: In a prospectively collected group of symptomatic patients with an RSSI (n = 79, mean age 61 ± 11 years, 67% male), we analyzed brain MRI and serum NfL using a Single Molecule Array (Simoa) assay at baseline and at 3 and 15 months after stroke. Community-dwelling healthy age- and sex-matched individuals with comparable severity of MRI white matter hyperintensities (WMH) (n = 53) served as controls. Results: Patients with an RSSI had higher NfL baseline levels compared to controls (73.45 vs 34.59 pg/mL, p < 0.0001), and they were increasingly higher with the time from stroke symptom onset to blood sampling (median 4 days, range 1–11 days, r_s = 0.51, p < 0.0001). NfL levels remained increased at the 3-month follow-up but returned to normal at 15 months after stroke. NfL levels were associated with RSSI size and baseline WMH severity and were especially high in patients with new, clinically silent cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)–related lesions at follow-up. Conclusions: Serum NfL is increased in patients with an RSSI and the occurrence of new CSVD-related MRI lesions, even when clinically silent. This suggests NfL as a blood biomarker for active CSVD.

Background and Objectives There is a worldwide increase in the incidence of stroke in young adults, with major regional and ethnic differences. Advancing knowledge of ethnic and regional variation in causes and outcomes will be beneficial in implementation of regional health care services. We studied the global distribution of risk factors, causes, and 3-month mortality of young patients with ischemic stroke, by performing a patient data meta-analysis from different cohorts worldwide. Methods We performed a pooled analysis of individual patient data from cohort studies that included consecutive patients with ischemic stroke aged 18–50 years. We studied differences in prevalence of risk factors and causes of ischemic stroke between different ethnic and racial groups, geographic regions, and countries with different income levels. We investigated differences in 3-month mortality by mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression. Results We included 17,663 patients from 32 cohorts in 29 countries. Hypertension and diabetes were most prevalent in Black (hypertension, 52.1%; diabetes, 20.7%) and Asian patients (hypertension 46.1%, diabetes, 20.9%). Large vessel atherosclerosis and small vessel disease were more often the cause of stroke in high-income countries (HICs; both p < 0.001), whereas “other determined stroke” and “undetermined stroke” were higher in low and middle-income countries (LMICs; both p < 0.001). Patients in LMICs were younger, had less vascular risk factors, and despite this, more often died within 3 months than those from HICs (odds ratio 2.49; 95% confidence interval 1.42–4.36). Discussion Ethnoracial and regional differences in risk factors and causes of stroke at young age provide an understanding of ethnic and racial and regional differences in incidence of ischemic stroke. Our results also highlight the dissimilarities in outcome after stroke in young adults that exist between LMICs and HICs, which should serve as call to action to improve health care facilities in LMICs.

Background and Purpose—: Dysphagia is a common stroke symptom and leads to serious complications such as aspiration and pneumonia. Early dysphagia screening can reduce these complications. In many hospitals, dysphagia screening is performed by speech–language therapists who are often not available on weekends/holidays, which results in delayed dysphagia assessment. Methods—: We trained the nurses of our neurological department to perform formal dysphagia screening in every acute stroke patient by using the Gugging Swallowing Screen. The impact of a 24/7 dysphagia screening (intervention) over swallowing assessment by speech–language therapists during regular working hours only was compared in two 5-month periods with time to dysphagia screening, pneumonia rate, and length of hospitalization as outcome variables. Results—: Overall, 384 patients (mean age, 72.3±13.7 years; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 3) were included in the study. Both groups (pre-intervention, n=198 versus post-intervention, n=186) were comparable regarding age, sex, and stroke severity. Time to dysphagia screening was significantly reduced in the intervention group (median, 7 hours; range, 1–69 hours) compared with the control group (median, 20 hours; range, 1–183; P =0.001). Patients in the intervention group had a lower rate of pneumonia (3.8% versus 11.6%; P =0.004) and also a reduced length of hospital stay (median, 8 days; range, 2–40 versus median, 9 days; range, 1–61 days; P =0.033). Conclusions—: 24/7 dysphagia screening can be effectively performed by nurses and leads to reduced pneumonia rates. Therefore, empowering nurses to do a formal bedside screening for swallowing dysfunction in stroke patients timely after admission is warranted whenever speech–language therapists are not available.

Background and purpose: Information on the prevalence and course of post‐stroke cognitive impairment in young stroke patients is limited. The aim was to assess a consecutive sample of acute young ischaemic stroke patients (18–55 years) for the presence and development of neuropsychological deficits.Methods: Patients prospectively underwent a comprehensive clinical and cognitive assessment, examining general cognitive function, processing speed, attention, flexibility/executive function and word fluency within the first 3 weeks after hospital admission (median assessment at day 6) and at a 3 months’ follow‐up (FU). Cognitive dysfunction was defined in comparison to age‐standardized published norms.Results: At baseline (N = 114), deficits were highly prevalent in processing speed (56.0%), flexibility/executive function (49.5%), attention (46.4%) and general cognitive function (42.1%). These frequencies were comparable for those with FU assessment (N = 87). In most domains, cognitive performance improved within 3 months, except for word fluency. However, in about one‐third of patients, cognitive deficits (as defined by 1.5 standard deviations below the standardized mean) were still present 3 months after stroke. At FU, 44.0% were impaired in the domain flexibility/executive function, 35.0% in processing speed and 30.0% in attention.Conclusions: The high prevalence of cognitive deficits in acute young patients with ischaemic stroke highlights the importance of early post‐stroke cognitive assessment to capture a patient's dysfunction in a comprehensive manner and to offer adequate rehabilitation. The role of factors which promote neuropsychological deficits needs further exploration.

Information on microstructural white matter integrity has been shown to explain post-stroke recovery beyond clinical measures and focal brain damage. Especially, knowledge about early white matter changes might improve prediction of outcome. We investigated 42 acute reperfused ischemic stroke patients (mean age 66.5 years, 40% female, median admission NIHSS 9.5) with a symptomatic MRI-confirmed unilateral middle cerebral artery territory infarction 24–72 h post-stroke and after 3 months. All patients underwent neurological examination and brain MRI. Fifteen older healthy controls (mean age 57.3 years) were also scanned twice. We assessed fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Patients showed significantly decreased white matter integrity in the hemisphere affected by the acute infarction 24–72 h post-stroke, which further decreased over 3 months compared with controls. Less decrease in FA of remote white matter tracts was associated with better stroke recovery even after correcting for infarct location and extent. A regression model including baseline information showed that the modified Rankin Scale and mean FA of the genu of the corpus callosum explained 53.5% of the variance of stroke recovery, without contribution of infarct volume. Furthermore, early dynamic FA changes of the corpus callosum within the first 3 months post-stroke independently predicted stroke recovery. Information from advanced MRI measures on white matter integrity at the acute stage, as well as early dynamic white matter degeneration beyond infarct location and extent, improve our understanding of post-stroke reorganization in the affected hemisphere and contribute to an improved prediction of recovery.