Background: Stroke, a neurological condition, ranks as the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide, resulting in sensory, motor and cognitive impairments. Post-stroke cerebral atrophic changes in various brain regions, both ipsilesional and contralesional, carry significant clinical implications. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to explore structural (volume and cortical thickness) and functional deficits induced by post-ischemic stroke cerebral atrophy. Methods: The review encompassed studies conducted from January 2010 to October 2021, resulting in the inclusion of 33 articles sourced from PubMed/Medline, Cochrane/EMBASE and PEDro databases. Keywords such as ‘stroke’, ‘cortical atrophy’, ‘cerebral atrophy’, ‘motor’, ‘sensory’ and ‘cognitive disability’ were utilized in the search process. Results: Notably, the temporal lobe emerged as the most commonly affected site for atrophic volume changes, followed by the thalamic areas, hippocampus, cerebellum and sensory cortex. Cortical thinning was observed in frontotemporal, inferior parietal, primary motor cortex (M1) and superior frontal gyrus regions of the stroke hemisphere. Regarding functional outcomes, gray matter volume (GMV) was found to correlate with motor function, with severe GMV atrophy hindering clinical recovery, while increased GMV was linked to better outcomes. Additionally, GMV was associated with cognitive functions. Notably, changes in total and regional brain tissue volume were observed early poststroke and continued at an accelerated rate compared to normal age-related atrophic changes. Conclusion: This underscores the potential of brain atrophy as a prognostic marker for identifying regions of structural plasticity and as a therapeutic target.
Somaa et al. (Wed,) studied this question.