ABSTRACT
Stroke is an interruption in the brain's blood supply, vascular in origin, which is characterised by rapid onset and persistence of neurological symptoms beyond 24 hours. Stroke is a clinical medical diagnosis and the contribution of neuropsychological assessment is not primarily a diagnostic one. Population studies provide the best information on the incidence of stroke, though they are difficult to organise and costly to implement. Neuropsychological examination of a 70-year-old person following stroke may reveal cognitive deficits acquired as a result of earlier stroke(s), and careful judgement is required in separating any recent cognitive dysfunction from that already existing at the time of the later stroke. The patient's physical condition may not permit neuropsychological testing in the early days following stroke. A higher level of reporting the strokes which affect communication abilities might be expected, given that these are easier to identify.
