Objective: To examine correlations between MRI and cognitive changes associated with cerebral infarction. Methods: Using HDS-R and Senior Cognitive Scale, we assessed 101 patients with cerebral infarction during acute to rehabilitation phase. The results were compared with their MRI. Results: At 3 weeks after onset, cognitive impairment was found in 70.3% of the patients. At 6 months after onset, 10% recovered to normal, 35.6% improved, 22.8% worsened, and 42.5% met the criteria of dementia. During acute phase, infarction focus and leukoaraiosis (LA) were related to cognitive impairment ( P <0.05). During rehabilitation phase, cognitive impairment was related to LA.Conclusion:Cerebral infarction results in significant cognitive impairment. LA is the major cause of cognitive impairment associated with cerebral infarction in rehabilitation.
