Post-stroke Apathy

EN: Patients with acquired brain injury, through stroke or other causes, not only suffer from sensorimotor and cognitive deficits, but also from neuroaffective impairments, including diminished goal-directed behaviour, motivation and drive. These symptoms are indicative of a syndrome called apathy. Apathy is estimated to affect around a third of stroke survivors and negatively impacts their long-term outcomes. Yet, it remains insufficiently understood, underrecognized, underdiagnosed and undertreated. In this project, we develop new diagnostic markers of apathy, investigate which neuroanatomical pathology leads to apathy, test how and under which circumstances decision making and behaviour is altered in post-stroke apathy, and examine the effects of serotonergic and dopaminergic medication on post-stroke apathy. We also investigate how patients’ drive and motivation changes over the course of post-stroke rehabilitation and how drive impairments affect functional recovery through neurorehabilitation.