Effect of the Start Time of Cognitive Rehabilitation after Ischemic Stroke on the Level of Recovery

Objectives. To evaluate the results of cognitive rehabilitation carried out at different times after ischemic stroke (IS). Materials and methods. A total of 140 patients were investigated during multidisciplinary rehabilitation at time points up to 1, 2–3, 4–6, and 7–12 months after IS; 78 patients received drug support for rehabilitation with intravenous administration of Ampasse (group 1), while 62 patients did not receive Ampasse (group 2). Rehabilitation effectiveness was monitored using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results. Both groups showed statistically significant increases in MoCA scores after treatment, though the number of patients with increases by ≥1 point was larger in those who started treatment three or more months after IS (p = 0.015). In group 1, increases in MoCA scores were noted in 87.2% of patients, compared with 38.7% in group 2 (p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant increases in the severity of anxiety and depression after treatment courses in both groups. Conclusions. The approach used here, consisting of a combination of cognitive and physical rehabilitation, along with medication support, was found to be of value in achieving results from two-week courses of inpatient rehabilitation of patients in both the early and late recovery periods of IS.