The Clinical Neuropsychiatry of Stroke: Cognitive, Behavioral and Emotional Disorders Following Vascular Brain Injury

Robert G. Robinson, a pioneer in the field of poststroke psychopathology, has authored a timely and definitive text that brings together many diverse bodies of information in a clear, concise, and clinically useful manner.

After he reviews basic brain organization, vascular anatomy, and classifications of strokes, Dr. Robinson details the poststroke syndromes of depressive, manic, and anxiety disorders as well as other common neuropsychological sequelae, such as catastrophic reactions, pathological laughing and crying, and the aprosodias, to name just a few. Of the 481 pages of text, 282 are devoted to poststroke depression, 72 to manic and anxiety disorders, and 96 to other neuro­psychiatric conditions.

For all of the syndromes, Dr. Robinson discusses the prevalence, course, clinical features, presumptive mechanisms, and treatments. He relies heavily on empirical investigations, which are both detailed and summarized in each section. He reviews the data evaluating the relationships between clinical correlates (e.g., physical or cognitive impairment, social functioning, and recovery from stroke) and the neuropsychiatric syndromes (depression, anxiety, etc.)

The volume stands as the definitive text in this field. It is easy to read, with liberal use of tables and figures. It will be especially useful for consultation-liaison psychiatrists, neurologists, and other professionals who care for patients who have suffered a stroke. Furthermore, researchers in the fields of behavioral neurology as well as mood and anxiety disorders must read this book.

In sum, this text is a “keeper,” highly useful to clinicians, researchers, and trainees alike. It is a scholarly yet “reader friendly” master clinical tour de force by one of the leaders in this field. Don’t just buy it. Buy it and read it.