Background: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and depression affect over 60% of elderly stroke survivors, severely impairing functional recovery and quality of life. Despite the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions, evidence on individualized approaches for elderly stroke patients remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the clinical impact of individual reminiscence therapy (RT) on cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in elderly stroke survivors.

Methods: A single-blinded, parallel, randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 80 elderly stroke patients recruited from two hospitals in Shanghai. Participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving eight weeks of individual RT (30-45 min weekly) or a control group receiving standard care with a 1:1 ratio. Cognitive function, including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Boston Naming Test (BNT), Trail Making Test-A (TMT-A), depressive symptoms assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and quality of life assessed by the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (Ss-QoL) will be assessed by blinded evaluators at baseline (T0), post-intervention (8 weeks, T1), and 4-week follow-up (12 weeks, T2). The intervention features a tailored RT protocol allowing patients to select topics (e.g., childhood memories, work life) to enhance engagement. Blinded evaluators will ensure measurement objectivity, and intention-to-treat analysis addressed attrition.

Discussion: This study aims to provide a fresh perspective on the effectiveness of individual RT in enhancing cognitive function, reducing depressive symptoms, and improving the quality of life, among stroke patients. The use of a tailored individual RT program based on an in-depth literature review and conceptual analysis, along with a multidimensional assessment system, differentiates this study from previous ones.

Trial registration: This protocol was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials.gov (Identifier: ChiCTR2500095471) on January 8, 2025.

Keywords: Cognition; Depression; Protocol; Randomized controlled trial; Reminiscence therapy; Stroke.

© 2025. The Author(s).

背景：

中风后认知障碍（PSCI）和抑郁症影响超过60%的老年人中风幸存者，严重损害了功能恢复和生活质量。尽管非药物干预方法有效，但对于老年中风患者的个性化治疗方法的研究证据仍然有限。本研究旨在评估个体怀旧疗法（RT）对老年中风患者认知功能、抑郁症状和生活质量的临床影响。

方法：

将在上海两家医院招募80名老年中风患者，并进行单盲平行随机对照试验。参与者将被随机分配到接受为期八周的个体RT治疗组（每周30-45分钟）或标准护理控制组，比例为1:1。基线（T0）、干预后（8周，T1）和4周随访（12周，T2）时，由盲法评估者通过简易精神状态检查量表（MMSE）、波士顿命名测试（BNT）、连线测验A（TMT-A）、患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）以及中风特异性生活质量量表（Ss-QoL），对认知功能、抑郁症状和生活质量进行评估。该干预措施采用个性化的RT方案，允许患者选择话题（如童年回忆、工作经历）以提高参与度。盲法评估者将确保测量的客观性，并使用意向治疗分析来解决脱落问题。

讨论：

本研究旨在为个体怀旧疗法在改善中风患者的认知功能、减少抑郁症状和提高生活质量方面的有效性提供新的视角。基于深入文献回顾和概念分析制定个性化的RT方案，以及采用多维度评估系统，使这项研究与其他先前的研究有所不同。

试验注册：

该协议于2025年1月8日在中华临床试验注册中心（Identifier: ChiCTR2500095471）注册。

关键词：认知；抑郁；方案；随机对照试验；怀旧疗法；中风。