• Andrew M Naidech, Kelly L Polnaszek, Michael D Berman, and Joel L Voss.
• Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, 303 East Chicago Ave, Ward 12-140, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA. a-naidech@northwestern.edu.
• Neurocrit Care. 2016 Jun 1; 24 (3): 397403397-403.

BackgroundDelirium symptoms are associated with later worse functional outcomes and long-term cognitive impairments, but the neuroanatomical basis for delirium symptoms in patients with acute brain injury is currently uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that hematoma location is predictive of delirium symptoms in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, a model disease where patients are typically not sedated or bacteremic.MethodsWe prospectively identified 90 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage who underwent routine twice-daily screening for delirium symptoms with a validated examination. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping with acute computed tomography was used to identify hematoma locations associated with delirium symptoms (N = 89).ResultsAcute delirium symptoms were predicted by hematoma of right-hemisphere subcortical white matter (superior longitudinal fasciculus) and parahippocampal gyrus. Hematoma including these locations had an odds ratio for delirium of 13 (95 % CI 3.9-43.3, P < 0.001). Disruption of large-scale brain networks that normally support attention and conscious awareness was thus associated with acute delirium symptoms.ConclusionsHigher odds ratio for delirium was increased due to hematoma location. The location of neurological injury could be of high prognostic value for predicting delirium symptoms.

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