AUTHOR=Xu Gang , Hao Fuchun , Zhao Weiwei , Qiu Jiwen , Zhao Peng , Zhang Qian 

TITLE=The influential factors and non-pharmacological interventions of cognitive impairment in children with ischemic stroke

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.1072388

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2022.1072388

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Background: The prevalence of pediatric ischemic stroke rose by 35% between 1990 and 2013. Affected patients can experience the gradual onset of cognitive impairment in the form of impaired language, memory, intelligence, attention, and/or processing speed, which affect 20-50% of these patients. There are few available evidence-based treatments due to significant heterogeneity in age, pathological characteristics, and the combined epilepsy status of the affected children.
Methods: We searched the literatures published by Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed, which researched nonpharmacological rehabilitation interventions for cognitive impairment following pediatric ischemic stroke. The search period is from the establishment of the database to January 2022.
Results: The incidence of such impairment is influenced by patient age, pathological characteristics, combined epilepsy status and environmental factors. Non-pharmacological treatments for cognitive impairment that have been explored to date mainly include exercise training, psychological intervention, neuromodulation strategies, computer-assisted cognitive training, brain-computer interfaces(BCI), virtual reality, music therapy, and acupuncture. In childhood stroke, the only interventions that can be retrieved are psychological intervention, and neuromodulation strategies.
Conclusions: However, the evidence regarding the efficacy of these interventions is relatively weak. In future studies, the active application of a variety of interventions to improve pediatric cognitive function will be necessary, and neuroimaging and electrophysiological measurement techniques will be of great value in this context. Larger multi-center prospective longitudinal studies are also required to offer more accurate evidence-based guidance for the treatment of pediatric stroke patients.