Stroke

What is a stroke?

A stroke, medically known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when an interruption of blood supply (and therefore oxygen supply) leads to the sudden death of some brain cells. This event may occur due to blockage (ischemic stroke) or rupture (hemorrhagic stroke) of an artery to the brain. If brain tissue stops receiving oxygen for long enough, the tissue dies and causes us to lose some of our cognitive abilities. How deeply our cognitive abilities are affected depends on many factors including how long the flow of oxygen was interrupted and the brain’s neuroplastic abilities to regenerate some of those lost abilities.

What are the signs of a stroke?

Some individuals never realize that they are experiencing a stroke because it is of such a mild intensity. Others, may have a more severe stroke and notice the following symptoms while it is happening:

• Trouble walking or trouble maintaining balance and posture,
• Trouble talking, and/or
• Paralysis or numbness of the face, arms, or legs.

Post-stroke, you might experience various changes in your thinking skills. These changes and their severity are unique to each individual and depend on where oxygen flow was blocked in the brain (location of injury), for how long oxygen flow was blocked and the amount of brain tissue that was damaged as a result (severity of injury). Unlike the gradual onset of changes in thinking abilities that are experienced in dementia-related processes, stroke-related changes in thinking ability have a sudden onset immediately after the CVA and stay relatively stable from then on. Examples of CVA related changes in thinking ability include:

• Difficulty recalling newly learned information,
• Attention-related problems,
• Difficulty expressing one’s thoughts fluently or clearly, and
• Changes in personality.

What is the treatment for a stroke?

Our team of neuropsychologists can help you determine your current level of cognitive functioning and, through regular re-evaluations, can help keep tabs on whether your thinking abilities have improved, stayed stable, or worsened with time. In certain cases, we can also partner with you to advocate for appropriate workplace accommodations.

Thomson’s cognitive rehabilitation therapists can help you learn skills and strategies with which you may compensate for your areas of reduced cognitive functioning, and therefore help minimize the impact of the stroke on your day to day functioning. Our therapists are skilled in addressing the emotional impact of stroke on your psychological health so that feelings of frustration, depression, or anxious worry do not worsen changes in your thinking abilities. We will always encourage you to consult with your physician to determine whether a pharmaceutical intervention would be appropriate for your individual case.