Using NIRS by cluster analysis to categorize post-stroke apathy: A case study from a neuropsychological perspective

Abstract

Apathy after stroke can be classified into three types based on thought-behavior processes. We studied the neural circuits of three types of apathy using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and analyzed the cerebral blood flow in the regions of interest (DLPFC, FP, and OFC) by cluster analysis. We confirmed the expected neural circuits for the three types of apathy by comparing which regions of interest showed reduced cerebral blood flow in each cluster. The results showed that apathy was categorized into some clusters: DLPFC and FP, with low cerebral blood flow and impaired cognitive-behavioral processing; OFC, with low cerebral blood flow, impaired affective processing, and emotional disturbance; and other types which did not fall into either of these categories. These analyses indicated that apathy following stroke can be categorized into some types from a neuropsychological perspective.