Strokes types and symptoms
Cerebral Cortex (Cortical Stroke): Can affect higher functions like language, cognition, or sensory
processing.
Specific subtypes: Left Hemisphere Stroke: Affects speech (Broca's or Wernicke's areas),
language, and right-side motor function.
Right Hemisphere Stroke: Affects spatial perception, attention, and left-side motor function.
Lacunar Stroke - Definition: Small, deep strokes affecting small arteries. Often occurs in the
basal ganglia, thalamus, or pons and can lead to:
Motor or Sensory Stroke: Affects specific motor or sensory pathways without higher cognitive
impairments.
Ataxic Hemiparesis: Weakness and lack of coordination.
Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) Stroke - Definition: The most common location for ischemic
strokes, affecting a large portion of the brain, including the motor and sensory cortices.
Symptoms: Contralateral weakness (hemiparesis), sensory loss, and if in the dominant
hemisphere, aphasia (language deficits).
Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA) Stroke - Definition: Affects the occipital lobe and temporal lobe,
parts of the visual and memory-processing systems.
Symptoms: Visual field defects (e.g., homonymous hemianopia), memory impairment, and
difficulty recognizing faces (prosopagnosia).
Thalamic Stroke - Definition: Involves the thalamus, a relay center for sensory and motor
signals.
Symptoms: Loss of sensation, pain syndromes (thalamic pain syndrome), and difficulty with
coordination or movement.
Cerebral Cortex (Cortical Stroke): Can affect higher functions like language, cognition, or sensory
processing.
Specific subtypes: Left Hemisphere Stroke: Affects speech (Broca's or Wernicke's areas),
language, and right-side motor function.
Right Hemisphere Stroke: Affects spatial perception, attention, and left-side motor function.
Lacunar Stroke - Definition: Small, deep strokes affecting small arteries. Often occurs in the
basal ganglia, thalamus, or pons and can lead to:
Motor or Sensory Stroke: Affects specific motor or sensory pathways without higher cognitive
impairments.
Ataxic Hemiparesis: Weakness and lack of coordination.
Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) Stroke - Definition: The most common location for ischemic
strokes, affecting a large portion of the brain, including the motor and sensory cortices.
Symptoms: Contralateral weakness (hemiparesis), sensory loss, and if in the dominant
hemisphere, aphasia (language deficits).
Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA) Stroke - Definition: Affects the occipital lobe and temporal lobe,
parts of the visual and memory-processing systems.
Symptoms: Visual field defects (e.g., homonymous hemianopia), memory impairment, and
difficulty recognizing faces (prosopagnosia).
Thalamic Stroke - Definition: Involves the thalamus, a relay center for sensory and motor
signals.
Symptoms: Loss of sensation, pain syndromes (thalamic pain syndrome), and difficulty with
coordination or movement.
