The Association between Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis and Post- stroke Mild Behavioral Impairment

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze the association between Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) and post-stroke mild behavioral impairment (MBI) in patients with minor stroke. Methods A total of 121 patients underwent high-resolution 3T magnetic resonance angiography and MBI checklist (MBI-C) assessment. We adjusted for demographic and vascular risk factors in logistic regression analysis, to determine the association of ICAS with MBI. Results Of the 121 patients with minor stroke in this study, 52 (42.98%) were diagnosed with ICAS. After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that patients with ICAS were more likely to develop MBI after an acute, non-disabling ischemic stroke compared to patients without ICAS (Odds Ratio:5.28; 95% Confidence Interval: 2.27-13.0) Conclusions Our study demonstrated a positive association between ICAS and post-stroke MBI in patients with minor stroke. Furthermore, the inverse correlation between precuneus cortical thickness and MBI scores provides a new insight into further diagnosing MBI through imaging. Our findings suggest that early detection and treatment of ICAS may help prevent the development of MBI in patients with minor stroke.