Voxel-based analysis of fractional anisotropy in post-stroke apathy

To explore the structural basis of post-stroke apathy by using voxel-based analysis (VBA) of fractional anisotropy (FA) maps. We enrolled 54 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke during convalescence, and divided them into apathy (n = 31) and non-apathy (n = 23) groups. We obtained magnetic resonance images of their brains, including T1, T2 and DTI sequences. Age, sex, education level, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, and infarct locations for the two groups were compared. Finally, to investigate the structural basis of post-stroke apathy, VBA of FA maps was performed in which we included the variables that a univariate analysis determined had P-values less than 0.20 as covariates. HAMD (P = 0.01) and MMSE (P