Mood disorders after stroke.

Mood disorders occurring after stroke are a major concern to public health as they are frequent, difficult to diagnose and to treat, and have high impact on the quality of life of patients and caregivers. The association of manic symptoms (rare) in the acute phase of stroke with strategic locations within the right hemisphere is clinically significant. However, the link among poststroke depression and anxiety (most prevalent), brain circuitries, clinical signs and individual psychological factors is not yet disentangled. The involvement of too many variables produces methodological difficulties and, therefore, the findings of a great number of studies are not systematically replicated. Thus, there is a need for research in this area of stroke medicine. Investigations on poststroke mood disorders might increase insight into the pathogenesis of mood disorders (which share the same clinical profile) occurring in people without brain lesions.