Neuropsychological outcome following childhood stroke–a review

Objectives: Childhood stroke is a rare but devastating occurrence. Its infrequency has meant that a clear body of knowledge has not been fully established regarding its impact on neuropsychological outcome. Our aims were (i) to critically review the recent literature on neuropsychological outcome following childhood stroke; (ii) to investigate the factors related to neuropsychological outcome following childhood stroke. Methods: Literature searches were conducted and revealed 39 relevant papers from the period 1999–2015. Results: The review found that a significant number of children experience difficulties in a wide range of neuropsychological domains, with particular vulnerabilities noted in attention, speed of information processing and executive functioning. There were inconsistent findings regarding the correlates of neuropsychological outcome, which is likely due to methodological limitations of the studies. Conclusions: This review strongly indicates that childhood stroke can affect a myriad of neuropsychological domains, with attention, speed of processing and executive function particularly vulnerable. Methodological issues, particularly around heterogeneous samples and measurement difficulties, limit the conclusions that can be drawn regarding the predictors of outcome.