Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Following a stroke, some individuals recover remarkably well and quickly resume their work, social, and family-related roles and responsibilities. Others, however, experience significant physical and mental disability, such as dementia, that can limit their ability to care for themselves and others and lower their standard of living. Understanding what differentiates these two groups of patients is an important step in being able to improve post-stroke outcomes. Chronic kidney disease, which affects 1 in 3 adults over 65, reduces the kidneys' ability to control blood pressure and remove toxins from the body, which can negatively impact brain functioning. Chronic kidney disease is more common in stroke patients than in the general population, and has been linked to poorer cognitive ability in individuals without a previous stroke. In light of these observations, chronic kidney disease may also influence stroke recovery. This study will investigate whether chronic kidney disease increases the risk of dementia following a stroke. Findings from this study are expected to reveal new strategies for reducing risk for cognitive impairment following stroke, and thereby help to reduce rates of dementia in Canada.