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Pharmacotherapy for Poststroke Cognitive Impairment and Poststroke Cognitive Impairment With Dementia: A Review
Renju Ravi, Saibal Das, Tahir M. Hakami, Brahm Prakash, Libby Pushparajan. Stroke Research and Treatment, 2025-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) refers to any level of cognitive decline occurring after a stroke, ranging from mild to severe impairments, while PSCI with dementia describes a more severe form where the cognitive decline significantly affects daily functioning and meets the clinical criteria for dementia. PSCI occurs in more than half of individuals who have had a stroke. Despite its high prevalence, the pharmacotherapeutic options for PSCI are limited. Several pharmacotherapeutic options like cholinesterase inhibitors (e.g., donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine) and N ‐methyl‐ d ‐aspartate receptor antagonists (e.g., memantine) have shown potential in improving cognitive functions. However, their overall effectiveness remains inconsistent across different studies and patient populations. Newer drugs such as citicoline, cilostazol, and antidepressants have shown promise, but further research is needed to validate their efficacy and safety specifically for PSCI management.
Key findings
- Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) refers to any level of cognitive decline occurring after a stroke, ranging from mild to severe impairments, while PSCI with dementia describes a more severe form where the cognitive decline significantly affects daily functioning and meets the clinical criteria for dementia.
- However, their overall effectiveness remains inconsistent across different studies and patient populations.
Why it matters
This review notes that poststroke cognitive impairment is common but pharmacotherapy options are limited, with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine showing inconsistent effectiveness across studies and populations. Newer drugs such as citicoline, cilostazol and antidepressants show promise but need further research to confirm their efficacy and safety for this condition.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 36 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 38 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Stroke Research and Treatment) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Stroke Research and Treatment: journal h-index 57 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 10 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 10 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Libby Pushparajan holds only 6 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40421258) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 36 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 36 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 38 out of 100. |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1155/srat/6893801
- PubMed: 40421258
- Original source →
- Free full text: Stroke Research and Treatment →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ravi, R., Das, S., Hakami, T. M., Prakash, B., & Pushparajan, L. (2025). Pharmacotherapy for Poststroke Cognitive Impairment and Poststroke Cognitive Impairment With Dementia: A Review. Stroke Research and Treatment. https://doi.org/10.1155/srat/6893801
Vancouver
Ravi R, Das S, Hakami TM, Prakash B, Pushparajan L. Pharmacotherapy for Poststroke Cognitive Impairment and Poststroke Cognitive Impairment With Dementia: A Review. Stroke Research and Treatment. 2025. doi:10.1155/srat/6893801. PMID: 40421258.
BibTeX
@article{ravi2025-40421258,
author = {Ravi, Renju and Das, Saibal and Hakami, Tahir M. and Prakash, Brahm and Pushparajan, Libby},
title = {{Pharmacotherapy for Poststroke Cognitive Impairment and Poststroke Cognitive Impairment With Dementia: A Review}},
journal = {Stroke Research and Treatment},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1155/srat/6893801},
pmid = {40421258},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/srat/6893801}
}
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