ABSTRACT NUMBER: ESOC2026A20 THE ROLE OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE IL-6 IN COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AFTER ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract Background and aims The role of inflammation in stroke prognosis has been well established for motor mpairment, but less has been published regarding the mechanisms that lead to cognitive impairment after acute ischemic stroke. Our objective was to determine a correlation among serum levels of IL-6 and sIL6r andpost-stroke cognitive impairment Methods To assess inflammatory status, circulating levels of IL-6 and its soluble receptor (sIL-6R) were measured at admission (t 0), after treatment (t 1), and 7 days after treatment (t 2). Cognitive impairment was evaluated through MOCA test three months after discharge. Differences between subgroups were assessed by the non-parametric Mann Whitney U test as for quantitative data, whilst the Fisher-exact test was applied as for qualitative data. We included 26 individuals. The cohort was divided into two subgroups: MOCA scores <26 were considered indicative of cognitive impairment, whereas scores ≥26 were considered within the normal range. Results No statistical differences were observed between the subgroups in terms of sex, core and penumbra volumes, treatment, stroke etiology, or stroke severity. Analysis of IL-6 levels revealed that patients with cognitive impairment had significantly higher values at all time points with respect to normal range of MoCA (t 0 : p= 0.027; t 1 : p=0.001; t 2 : p =0.001). No statistically significant differences were detected within subgroups over time on sIL-6R Conclusions High levels of Interleukin-6 may be predictive of worse cognitive outcome after ischemic stroke. These results may lead the way for early treatment approaches in post-stroke cognitive impairment Conflict of interest nothing to disclose