Project 458972

Childhood stroke is an uncommon yet significant cause of long-term disability in children. An ischemic stroke occurs when there is a blockage of blood to a given area of the brain, resulting in brain damage. Due to brain damage resulting from an ischemic stroke, children often experience difficulty with language, movement, their thinking skills, and the ability to focus. Over a third of children with stroke are classified as having moderate to severe difficulties in functioning, and these issues may only emerge as they get older. Clinicians require better ways to determine or predict which children will go on to experience such problems. Brain imaging is one way we can evaluate what is happening in the brain to identify which children will have motor, language, or thinking and attention difficulties. Some researchers have used brain imaging to predict which children will have movement and language problems and have had success; however, very little research has been done using brain imaging to predict which children will experience thinking or attention difficulties. The current proposal intends to look at one brain region, the thalamus, and see if damage to this area is related to thinking and attention difficulties. This work will help to understand whether damage to specific areas of the brain affects thinking and attention. In the future, this research may help clinicians to evaluate whether a child with ischemic stroke will be at risk of developing thinking and attention difficulties by evaluating their brain scan.