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Walker GM, Fridriksson J, Hickok G. Assessing Relative Linguistic Impairment With Model-Based Item Selection. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024:1-20. [PMID: 38995869 DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-23-00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE A picture naming test is presented that reveals impairment to specific mechanisms involved in the naming process, using accuracy scores on curated item sets. A series of psychometric validation experiments are reported. METHOD Using a computational model that enables estimation of item difficulty at the lexical and sublexical stages of word retrieval, two complimentary sets of items were constructed that challenge the respective psycholinguistic levels of representation. The difference in accuracy between these item sets yields the relative linguistic impairment (RLI) score. In a cohort of 91 people with chronic left-hemisphere stroke who enrolled in a clinical trial for anomia, we assessed psychometric properties of the RLI score and then used the new scale to make predictions about other language behaviors, lesion distributions, and functional activation during naming. RESULTS RLI scores had adequate psychometric properties for clinical significance. RLI scores contained predictive information about spontaneous speech fluency, over and above accuracy. A dissociation was observed between performance on the RLI item sets and performance on the subtests of an independent language battery. Sublexical RLI was significantly associated with apraxia of speech and with lesions encompassing perisylvian regions, while lexical RLI was associated with lesions to deep white matter. The RLI construct was reflected in functional brain activity during naming, independent of overall accuracy, with a respective shift of activation between dorsal and ventral networks responsible for different aspects of word retrieval. CONCLUSION The RLI assessment satisfies the psychometric requirements to serve as a useful clinical measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant M Walker
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
- Department of Language Science, University of California, Irvine
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Di Fuccio R, Lardone A, De Luca M, Ali L, Limone P, Marangolo P. Neurobiological Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Inferior Frontal Gyrus: A Systematic Review on Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy and Neurological Adults. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1146. [PMID: 38927353 PMCID: PMC11200721 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The neurobiological effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have still not been unequivocally clarified. Some studies have suggested that the application of tDCS over the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) enhances different aspects of cognition in healthy and neurological individuals, exerting neural changes over the target area and its neural surroundings. In this systematic review, randomized sham-controlled trials in healthy and neurological adults were selected through a database search to explore whether tDCS over the IFG combined with cognitive training modulates functional connectivity or neural changes. Twenty studies were finally included, among which twelve measured tDCS effects through functional magnetic resonance (fMRI), two through functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and six through electroencephalography (EEG). Due to the high heterogeneity observed across studies, data were qualitatively described and compared to assess reliability. Overall, studies that combined fMRI and tDCS showed widespread changes in functional connectivity at both local and distant brain regions. The findings also suggested that tDCS may also modulate electrophysiological changes underlying the targeted area. However, these outcomes were not always accompanied by corresponding significant behavioral results. This work raises the question concerning the general efficacy of tDCS, the implications of which extend to the steadily increasing tDCS literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Di Fuccio
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Telematic University of Pegaso, Piazza dei Santi Apostoli 49, 00187 Rome, Italy; (R.D.F.); (L.A.); (P.L.)
| | - Anna Lardone
- Department of Humanities Studies, University Federico II, Via Porta di Massa 1, 80133 Naples, Italy; (A.L.); (M.D.L.)
| | - Mariagiovanna De Luca
- Department of Humanities Studies, University Federico II, Via Porta di Massa 1, 80133 Naples, Italy; (A.L.); (M.D.L.)
| | - Leila Ali
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Telematic University of Pegaso, Piazza dei Santi Apostoli 49, 00187 Rome, Italy; (R.D.F.); (L.A.); (P.L.)
| | - Pierpaolo Limone
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Telematic University of Pegaso, Piazza dei Santi Apostoli 49, 00187 Rome, Italy; (R.D.F.); (L.A.); (P.L.)
| | - Paola Marangolo
- Department of Humanities Studies, University Federico II, Via Porta di Massa 1, 80133 Naples, Italy; (A.L.); (M.D.L.)
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3
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Billot A, Kiran S. Disentangling neuroplasticity mechanisms in post-stroke language recovery. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 251:105381. [PMID: 38401381 PMCID: PMC10981555 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
A major objective in post-stroke aphasia research is to gain a deeper understanding of neuroplastic mechanisms that drive language recovery, with the ultimate goal of enhancing treatment outcomes. Subsequent to recent advances in neuroimaging techniques, we now have the ability to examine more closely how neural activity patterns change after a stroke. However, the way these neural activity changes relate to language impairments and language recovery is still debated. The aim of this review is to provide a theoretical framework to better investigate and interpret neuroplasticity mechanisms underlying language recovery in post-stroke aphasia. We detail two sets of neuroplasticity mechanisms observed at the synaptic level that may explain functional neuroimaging findings in post-stroke aphasia recovery at the network level: feedback-based homeostatic plasticity and associative Hebbian plasticity. In conjunction with these plasticity mechanisms, higher-order cognitive control processes dynamically modulate neural activity in other regions to meet communication demands, despite reduced neural resources. This work provides a network-level neurobiological framework for understanding neural changes observed in post-stroke aphasia and can be used to define guidelines for personalized treatment development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Billot
- Center for Brain Recovery, Boston University, Boston, USA; Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Swathi Kiran
- Center for Brain Recovery, Boston University, Boston, USA.
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Lammers B, Sydnor MJ, Cust S, Kim JH, Yenokyan G, Hillis AE, Sebastian R. Protocol for Cerebellar Stimulation for Aphasia Rehabilitation (CeSAR): A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.02.05.24302365. [PMID: 38370630 PMCID: PMC10871367 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.24302365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial of Cerebellar Stimulation for Aphasia Rehabilitation (CeSAR), we will determine the effectiveness of cathodal tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) to the right cerebellum for the treatment of chronic aphasia (>6 months post stroke). We will test the hypothesis that cerebellar tDCS in combination with an evidenced-based anomia treatment (semantic feature analysis, SFA) will be associated with greater improvement in naming untrained pictures (as measured by the change in Philadelphia Picture Naming Test), 1-week post treatment, compared to sham plus SFA. We will also evaluate the effects of cerebellar tDCS on naming trained items as well as the effects on functional communication, content, efficiency, and word-retrieval of picture description, and quality of life. Finally, we will identify imaging and linguistic biomarkers to determine the characteristics of stroke patients that benefit from cerebellar tDCS and SFA treatment. We expect to enroll 60 participants over five years. Participants will receive 15, 25-minute sessions of cerebellar tDCS (3-5 sessions per week) or sham tDCS combined with 1 hour of SFA treatment. Participants will be evaluated prior to the start of treatment, one-week post-treatment, 1-, 3-, and 6-months post treatment on primary and secondary outcome variables. The long-term aim of this study is to provide the basis for a Phase III randomized controlled trial of cerebellar tDCS vs sham with concurrent language therapy for treatment of chronic aphasia. Trial registration: The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05093673.
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Affiliation(s)
- Becky Lammers
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Myra J. Sydnor
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Sarah Cust
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ji Hyun Kim
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Gayane Yenokyan
- Johns Hopkins Biostatistics Center, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Argye E. Hillis
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Cognitive Science, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Rajani Sebastian
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
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5
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Johnson L, Newman-Norlund R, Teghipco A, Rorden C, Bonilha L, Fridriksson J. Progressive lesion necrosis is related to increasing aphasia severity in chronic stroke. Neuroimage Clin 2024; 41:103566. [PMID: 38280310 PMCID: PMC10835598 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Volumetric investigations of cortical damage resulting from stroke indicate that lesion size and shape continue to change even in the chronic stage of recovery. However, the potential clinical relevance of continued lesion growth has yet to be examined. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of lesion expansion and the relationship between expansion and changes in aphasia severity in a large sample of individuals in the chronic stage of aphasia recovery. METHODS Retrospective structural MRI scans from 104 S survivors with at least 2 observations (k = 301 observations; mean time between scans = 31 months) were included. Lesion demarcation was performed using an automated lesion segmentation software and lesion volumes at each timepoint were subsequently calculated. A linear mixed effects model was conducted to investigate the effect of days between scan on lesion expansion. Finally, we investigated the association between lesion expansion and changes on the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) in a group of participants assessed and scanned at 2 timepoints (N = 54) using a GLM. RESULTS Most participants (81 %) showed evidence of lesion expansion. The mixed effects model revealed lesion volumes significantly increase, on average, by 0.02 cc each day (7.3 cc per year) following a scan (p < 0.0001). Change on language performance was significantly associated with change in lesion volume (p = 0.025) and age at stroke (p = 0.031). The results suggest that with every 10 cc increase in lesion size, language performance decreases by 0.9 points, and for every 10-year increase in age at stroke, language performance decreases by 1.9 points. CONCLUSIONS The present study confirms and extends prior reports that lesion expansion occurs well into the chronic stage of stroke. For the first time, we present evidence that expansion is predictive of longitudinal changes in language performance in individuals with aphasia. Future research should focus on the potential mechanisms that may lead to necrosis in areas surrounding the chronic stroke lesion.
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Barbieri E, Lukic S, Rogalski E, Weintraub S, Mesulam MM, Thompson CK. Neural mechanisms of sentence production: a volumetric study of primary progressive aphasia. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad470. [PMID: 38100360 PMCID: PMC10793577 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on the neural bases of sentence production have yielded mixed results, partly due to differences in tasks and participant types. In this study, 101 individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) were evaluated using a test that required spoken production following an auditory prime (Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences-Sentence Production Priming Test, NAVS-SPPT), and one that required building a sentence by ordering word cards (Northwestern Anagram Test, NAT). Voxel-Based Morphometry revealed that gray matter (GM) volume in left inferior/middle frontal gyri (L IFG/MFG) was associated with sentence production accuracy on both tasks, more so for complex sentences, whereas, GM volume in left posterior temporal regions was exclusively associated with NAVS-SPPT performance and predicted by performance on a Digit Span Forward (DSF) task. Verb retrieval deficits partly mediated the relationship between L IFG/MFG and performance on the NAVS-SPPT. These findings underscore the importance of L IFG/MFG for sentence production and suggest that this relationship is partly accounted for by verb retrieval deficits, but not phonological loop integrity. In contrast, it is possible that the posterior temporal cortex is associated with auditory short-term memory ability, to the extent that DSF performance is a valid measure of this in aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Barbieri
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Sladjana Lukic
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Adelphi University, 158 Cambridge Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530, United States
| | - Emily Rogalski
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, 676 N Saint Clair Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Marek-Marsel Mesulam
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
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7
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Varkanitsa M, Kiran S. Insights gained over 60 years on factors shaping post-stroke aphasia recovery: A commentary on Vignolo (1964). Cortex 2024; 170:90-100. [PMID: 38123405 PMCID: PMC10962385 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder resulting from brain injury, including strokes which is the most common etiology, neurodegenerative diseases, tumors, traumatic brain injury, and resective surgery. Aphasia affects a significant portion of stroke survivors, with approximately one third experiencing its debilitating effects in the long term. Despite its challenges, there is growing evidence that recovery from aphasia is possible, even in the chronic phase of stroke. Sixty years ago, Vignolo (1964) outlined the primary challenges confronted by researchers in this field. These challenges encompassed the absence of an objective evaluation of language difficulties, the scarcity of evidence regarding spontaneous aphasia recovery, and the presence of numerous variables that could potentially influence the process of aphasia recovery. In this paper, we discuss the remarkable progress that has been made in the assessment of language and communication in aphasia as well as in understanding the factors influencing post-stroke aphasia recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Swathi Kiran
- Center for Brain Recovery, Boston University, USA
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Papageorgiou G, Kasselimis D, Angelopoulou G, Laskaris N, Tsolakopoulos D, Velonakis G, Tountopoulou A, Vassilopoulou S, Potagas C. Investigating Aphasia Recovery: Demographic and Clinical Factors. Brain Sci 2023; 14:7. [PMID: 38275512 PMCID: PMC10813398 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-stroke language recovery remains one of the main unresolved topics in the field of aphasia. In recent years, there have been efforts to identify specific factors that could potentially lead to improved language recovery. However, the exact relationship between the recovery of particular language functions and possible predictors, such as demographic or lesion variables, is yet to be fully understood. In the present study, we attempted to investigate such relationships in 42 patients with aphasia after left hemisphere stroke, focusing on three language domains: auditory comprehension, naming and speech fluency. Structural imaging data were also obtained for the identification of the lesion sites. According to our findings, patients demonstrated an overall improvement in all three language domains, while no demographic factor significantly contributed to aphasia recovery. Interestingly, specific lesion loci seemed to have a differential effect on language performance, depending on the time of testing (i.e., acute/subacute vs. chronic phase). We argue that this variability concerning lesion-deficit associations reflects the dynamic nature of aphasia and further discuss possible explanations in the framework of neuroplastic changes during aphasia recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Papageorgiou
- Neuropsychology & Language Disorders Unit, 1st Neurology Department, Eginition Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece; (D.K.); (G.A.); (N.L.); (D.T.); (C.P.)
| | - Dimitrios Kasselimis
- Neuropsychology & Language Disorders Unit, 1st Neurology Department, Eginition Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece; (D.K.); (G.A.); (N.L.); (D.T.); (C.P.)
- Department of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, 17671 Athens, Greece
| | - Georgia Angelopoulou
- Neuropsychology & Language Disorders Unit, 1st Neurology Department, Eginition Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece; (D.K.); (G.A.); (N.L.); (D.T.); (C.P.)
| | - Nikolaos Laskaris
- Neuropsychology & Language Disorders Unit, 1st Neurology Department, Eginition Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece; (D.K.); (G.A.); (N.L.); (D.T.); (C.P.)
- Department of Industrial Design and Production Engineering, School of Engineering, University of West Attica, 12241 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Tsolakopoulos
- Neuropsychology & Language Disorders Unit, 1st Neurology Department, Eginition Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece; (D.K.); (G.A.); (N.L.); (D.T.); (C.P.)
| | - Georgios Velonakis
- 2nd Department of Radiology, General University Hospital “Attikon”, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
| | - Argyro Tountopoulou
- Stroke Unit, 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (A.T.); (S.V.)
| | - Sophia Vassilopoulou
- Stroke Unit, 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (A.T.); (S.V.)
| | - Constantin Potagas
- Neuropsychology & Language Disorders Unit, 1st Neurology Department, Eginition Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece; (D.K.); (G.A.); (N.L.); (D.T.); (C.P.)
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Kundu S, Reinhardt A, Song S, Han J, Meadows ML, Crosson B, Krishnamurthy V. Bayesian longitudinal tensor response regression for modeling neuroplasticity. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6326-6348. [PMID: 37909393 PMCID: PMC10681668 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A major interest in longitudinal neuroimaging studies involves investigating voxel-level neuroplasticity due to treatment and other factors across visits. However, traditional voxel-wise methods are beset with several pitfalls, which can compromise the accuracy of these approaches. We propose a novel Bayesian tensor response regression approach for longitudinal imaging data, which pools information across spatially distributed voxels to infer significant changes while adjusting for covariates. The proposed method, which is implemented using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling, utilizes low-rank decomposition to reduce dimensionality and preserve spatial configurations of voxels when estimating coefficients. It also enables feature selection via joint credible regions which respect the shape of the posterior distributions for more accurate inference. In addition to group level inferences, the method is able to infer individual-level neuroplasticity, allowing for examination of personalized disease or recovery trajectories. The advantages of the proposed approach in terms of prediction and feature selection over voxel-wise regression are highlighted via extensive simulation studies. Subsequently, we apply the approach to a longitudinal Aphasia dataset consisting of task functional MRI images from a group of subjects who were administered either a control intervention or intention treatment at baseline and were followed up over subsequent visits. Our analysis revealed that while the control therapy showed long-term increases in brain activity, the intention treatment produced predominantly short-term changes, both of which were concentrated in distinct localized regions. In contrast, the voxel-wise regression failed to detect any significant neuroplasticity after multiplicity adjustments, which is biologically implausible and implies lack of power.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suprateek Kundu
- Department of BiostatisticsUT MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Alec Reinhardt
- Department of BiostatisticsUT MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Serena Song
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive RehabilitationAtlanta Veterans Affairs Medical CenterDecaturGeorgiaUSA
| | - Joo Han
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive RehabilitationAtlanta Veterans Affairs Medical CenterDecaturGeorgiaUSA
| | - M. Lawson Meadows
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive RehabilitationAtlanta Veterans Affairs Medical CenterDecaturGeorgiaUSA
| | - Bruce Crosson
- Department of NeurologyEmory UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
- Department of Imaging and Radiological SciencesEmory UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
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Busby N, Newman-Norlund R, Wilmskoetter J, Johnson L, Rorden C, Gibson M, Roth R, Wilson S, Fridriksson J, Bonilha L. Longitudinal Progression of White Matter Hyperintensity Severity in Chronic Stroke Aphasia. Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl 2023; 5:100302. [PMID: 38163020 PMCID: PMC10757197 DOI: 10.1016/j.arrct.2023.100302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To determine whether longitudinal progression of small vessel disease in chronic stroke survivors is associated with longitudinal worsening of chronic aphasia severity. Design A longitudinal retrospective study. Severity of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) as a marker for small vessel disease was assessed on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) scans using the Fazekas scale, with ratings for deep WMHs (DWMHs) and periventricular WMHs (PVHs). Setting University research laboratories. Participants This study includes data from 49 chronic stroke survivors with aphasia (N=49; 15 women, 34 men, age range=32-81 years, >6 months post-stroke, stroke type: [46 ischemic, 3 hemorrhagic], community dwelling). All participants completed the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB) and had FLAIR scans at 2 timepoints (average years between timepoints: 1.87 years, SD=3.21 years). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Change in white matter hyperintensity severity (calculated using the Fazekas scale) and change in aphasia severity (difference in Western Aphasia Battery scores) were calculated between timepoints. Separate stepwise regression models were used to identify predictors of WMH severity change, with lesion volume, age, time between timepoints, body mass index (BMI), and presence of diabetes as independent variables. Additional stepwise regression models investigated predictors of change in aphasia severity, with PVH change, DWMH change, lesion volume, time between timepoints, and age as independent predictors. Results 22.5% of participants (11/49) had increased WMH severity. Increased BMI was associated with increases in PVH severity (P=.007), whereas the presence of diabetes was associated with increased DWMH severity (P=.002). Twenty-five percent of participants had increased aphasia severity which was significantly associated with increased severity of PVH (P<.001, 16.8% variance explained). Conclusion Increased small vessel disease burden is associated with contributing to chronic changes in aphasia severity. These findings support the idea that good cardiovascular risk factor control may play an important role in the prevention of long-term worsening of aphasic symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Busby
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | | | - Janina Wilmskoetter
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | - Lisa Johnson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Chris Rorden
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Makayla Gibson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Rebecca Roth
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Sarah Wilson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
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11
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Campos B, Choi H, DeMarco AT, Seydell-Greenwald A, Hussain SJ, Joy MT, Turkeltaub PE, Zeiger W. Rethinking Remapping: Circuit Mechanisms of Recovery after Stroke. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7489-7500. [PMID: 37940595 PMCID: PMC10634578 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1425-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Stroke is one of the most common causes of disability, and there are few treatments that can improve recovery after stroke. Therapeutic development has been hindered because of a lack of understanding of precisely how neural circuits are affected by stroke, and how these circuits change to mediate recovery. Indeed, some of the hypotheses for how the CNS changes to mediate recovery, including remapping, redundancy, and diaschisis, date to more than a century ago. Recent technological advances have enabled the interrogation of neural circuits with ever greater temporal and spatial resolution. These techniques are increasingly being applied across animal models of stroke and to human stroke survivors, and are shedding light on the molecular, structural, and functional changes that neural circuits undergo after stroke. Here we review these studies and highlight important mechanisms that underlie impairment and recovery after stroke. We begin by summarizing knowledge about changes in neural activity that occur in the peri-infarct cortex, specifically considering evidence for the functional remapping hypothesis of recovery. Next, we describe the importance of neural population dynamics, disruptions in these dynamics after stroke, and how allocation of neurons into spared circuits can restore functionality. On a more global scale, we then discuss how effects on long-range pathways, including interhemispheric interactions and corticospinal tract transmission, contribute to post-stroke impairments. Finally, we look forward and consider how a deeper understanding of neural circuit mechanisms of recovery may lead to novel treatments to reduce disability and improve recovery after stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baruc Campos
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Hoseok Choi
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Andrew T DeMarco
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057
| | - Anna Seydell-Greenwald
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010
| | - Sara J Hussain
- Movement and Cognitive Rehabilitation Science Program, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Mary T Joy
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
| | - Peter E Turkeltaub
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010
| | - William Zeiger
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
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12
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Shekari E, Seyfi M, Modarres Zadeh A, Batouli SA, Valinejad V, Goudarzi S, Joghataei MT. Mechanisms of brain activation following naming therapy in aphasia: A systematic review on task-based fMRI studies. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023; 30:780-801. [PMID: 35666667 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2022.2074849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The pattern of brain neuroplasticity after naming therapies in patients with aphasia can be evaluated using task-based fMRI. This article aims to review studies investigating brain reorganization after semantic and phonological-based anomia therapy that used picture-naming fMRI tasks. We searched for those articles that compared the activation of brain areas before and after aphasia therapies in the PubMed and the EMBASE databases from 1993 up to April 2020. All studies (single-cases or group designs) on anomia treatment in individuals with acquired aphasia were reviewed. Data were synthesized descriptively through tables to allow the facilitated comparison of the studies. A total of 14 studies were selected and reviewed. The results of the reviewed studies demonstrated that the naming improvement is associated with changes in the activation of cortical and subcortical brain areas. This review highlights the need for a more systematic investigation of the association between decreased and increased activation of brain areas related to anomia therapy. Also, more detailed information about factors influencing brain reorganization is required to elucidate the neural mechanisms of anomia therapy. Overall, regarding the theoretical and clinical aspects, the number of studies that used intensive protocol is growing, and based on the positive potential of these treatments, they could be suitable for the rehabilitation of people with aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Shekari
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Milad Seyfi
- Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amin Modarres Zadeh
- Department of Speech Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Amirhossein Batouli
- Neuroimaging and Analysis Group, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahid Valinejad
- Department of Speech Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sepideh Goudarzi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Taghi Joghataei
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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13
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Ivanova MV, Pappas I, Inglis B, Pracar AL, Herron TJ, Baldo JV, Kayser AS, D’Esposito M, Dronkers NF. Cerebral perfusion in post-stroke aphasia and its relationship to residual language abilities. Brain Commun 2023; 6:fcad252. [PMID: 38162898 PMCID: PMC10757451 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Stroke alters blood flow to the brain resulting in damaged tissue and cell death. Moreover, the disruption of cerebral blood flow (perfusion) can be observed in areas surrounding and distal to the lesion. These structurally preserved but suboptimally perfused regions may also affect recovery. Thus, to better understand aphasia recovery, the relationship between cerebral perfusion and language needs to be systematically examined. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate (i) how stroke affects perfusion outside of lesioned areas in chronic aphasia and (ii) how perfusion in specific cortical areas and perilesional tissue relates to language outcomes in aphasia. We analysed perfusion data from a large sample of participants with chronic aphasia due to left hemisphere stroke (n = 43) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 25). We used anatomically defined regions of interest that covered the frontal, parietal, and temporal areas of the perisylvian cortex in both hemispheres, areas typically known to support language, along with several control regions not implicated in language processing. For the aphasia group, we also looked at three regions of interest in the perilesional tissue. We compared perfusion levels between the two groups and investigated the relationship between perfusion levels and language subtest scores while controlling for demographic and lesion variables. First, we observed that perfusion levels outside the lesioned areas were significantly reduced in frontal and parietal regions in the left hemisphere in people with aphasia compared to the control group, while no differences were observed for the right hemisphere regions. Second, we found that perfusion in the left temporal lobe (and most strongly in the posterior part of both superior and middle temporal gyri) and inferior parietal areas (supramarginal gyrus) was significantly related to residual expressive and receptive language abilities. In contrast, perfusion in the frontal regions did not show such a relationship; no relationship with language was also observed for perfusion levels in control areas and all right hemisphere regions. Third, perilesional perfusion was only marginally related to language production abilities. Cumulatively, the current findings demonstrate that blood flow is reduced beyond the lesion site in chronic aphasia and that hypoperfused neural tissue in critical temporoparietal language areas has a negative impact on behavioural outcomes. These results, using perfusion imaging, underscore the critical and general role that left hemisphere posterior temporal regions play in various expressive and receptive language abilities. Overall, the study highlights the importance of exploring perfusion measures in stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria V Ivanova
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Research Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Ioannis Pappas
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Ben Inglis
- Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Alexis L Pracar
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Timothy J Herron
- Research Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Juliana V Baldo
- Research Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Andrew S Kayser
- Division of Neurology, San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Mark D’Esposito
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Neurology Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Nina F Dronkers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Depertment of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA
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14
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Ivanova MV, Pappas I. Understanding recovery of language after stroke: insights from neurovascular MRI studies. FRONTIERS IN LANGUAGE SCIENCES 2023; 2:1163547. [PMID: 38162928 PMCID: PMC10757818 DOI: 10.3389/flang.2023.1163547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Stroke causes a disruption in blood flow to the brain that can lead to profound language impairments. Understanding the mechanisms of language recovery after stroke is crucial for the prognosis and effective rehabilitation of people with aphasia. While the role of injured brain structures and disruptions in functional connectivity have been extensively explored, the relationship between neurovascular measures and language recovery in both early and later stages has not received sufficient attention in the field. Fully functioning healthy brain tissue requires oxygen and nutrients to be delivered promptly via its blood supply. Persistent decreases in blood flow after a stroke to the remaining non-lesioned tissue have been shown to contribute to poor language recovery. The goal of the current paper is to critically examine stroke studies looking at the relationship between different neurovascular measures and language deficits and mechanisms of language recovery via changes in neurovascular metrics. Measures of perfusion or cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) provide complementary approaches to understanding neurovascular mechanisms post stroke by capturing both cerebral metabolic demands and mechanical vascular properties. While CBF measures indicate the amount of blood delivered to a certain region and serve as a proxy for metabolic demands of that area, CVR indices reflect the ability of the vasculature to recruit blood flow in response to a shortage of oxygen, such as when one is holding their breath. Increases in CBF during recovery beyond the site of the lesion have been shown to promote language gains. Similarly, CVR changes, when collateral vessels are recruited to help reorganize the flow of blood in hypoperfused regions, have been related to functional recovery post stroke. In the current review, we highlight the main findings in the literature investigating neurovascular changes in stroke recovery with a particular emphasis on how language abilities can be affected by changes in CBF and CVR. We conclude by summarizing existing methodological challenges and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in future work in this area, outlining a promising avenue of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria V. Ivanova
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Ioannis Pappas
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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15
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Xie X, Hu P, Tian Y, Qiu B, Wang K, Bai T. Abnormal resting-state function within language network and its improvement among post-stroke aphasia. Behav Brain Res 2023; 443:114344. [PMID: 36781021 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Several studies with resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have examined functional impairments and plasticity within language network in patients with post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, there is still ubiquitous inconsistency across these studies, partly due to restricted to very small sample size and the absence of validation with follow-up data. In the current study, we aimed at providing relatively strong evidence to support functional impairments and its reorganization in PSA. Here, the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and functional connectivity were used to assess functional alterations of PSA with moderate sample size at baseline (thirty-five PSA patients and thirty-five healthy controls). Functional abnormalities at baseline were observed whether improved among sixteen follow-up patients. Compared with controls, PSA at baseline presented decreased ALFF in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and decreased functional connectivity of the left IFG with the bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA) and right superior temporal gyrus (STG). The decreased ALFF in IFG, decreased IFG-SMA and IFG-STG connectivity were enhanced among follow-up patients and was synchronized with language-performance improvement. Our results revealed reduced intrinsic neural activity and inter-connections within language network in PSA, which would be normalized synchronously as the improvement of language performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Xie
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Panpan Hu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yanghua Tian
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Department of Psychology and Sleep Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China
| | - Bensheng Qiu
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China; The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.
| | - Tongjian Bai
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
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16
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Busby N, Hillis AE, Bunker L, Rorden C, Newman-Norlund R, Bonilha L, Meier E, Goldberg E, Hickok G, Yourganov G, Fridriksson J. Comparing the brain-behaviour relationship in acute and chronic stroke aphasia. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad014. [PMID: 37056476 PMCID: PMC10088484 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In stroke aphasia, lesion volume is typically associated with aphasia severity. Although this relationship is likely present throughout recovery, different factors may affect lesion volume and behaviour early into recovery (acute) and in the later stages of recovery (chronic). Therefore, studies typically separate patients into two groups (acute/chronic), and this is often accompanied with arguments for and against using data from acute stroke patients over chronic. However, no comprehensive studies have provided strong evidence of whether the lesion-behaviour relationship early in recovery is comparable to later in the recovery trajectory. To that end, we investigated two aims: (i) whether lesion data from acute and chronic patients yield similar results in region-based lesion-symptom mapping analyses and (ii) if models based on one timepoint accurately predict the other. Lesions and aphasia severity scores from acute (N = 63) and chronic (N = 109) stroke survivors with aphasia were entered into separate univariate region-based lesion-symptom mapping analyses. A support vector regression model was trained on lesion data from either the acute or chronic data set to give an estimate of aphasia severity. Four model-based analyses were conducted: trained on acute/chronic using leave-one-out, tested on left-out behaviour or trained on acute/chronic to predict the other timepoint. Region-based lesion-symptom mapping analyses identified similar but not identical regions in both timepoints. All four models revealed positive correlations between actual and predicted Western Aphasia Battery-Revised aphasia-quotient scores. Lesion-to-behaviour predictions were almost equivalent when comparing within versus across stroke stage, despite differing lesion size/locations and distributions of aphasia severity between stroke timepoints. This suggests that research investigating the brain-behaviour relationship including subsets of patients from only one timepoint may also be applicable at other timepoints, although it is important to note that these comparable findings may only be seen using broad measures such as aphasia severity, rather than those aimed at identifying more specific deficits. Subtle differences found between timepoints may also be useful in understanding the nature of lesion volume and aphasia severity over time. Stronger correlations found when predicting acute behaviour (e.g. predicting acute: r = 0.6888, P < 0.001, predicting chronic r = 0.5014, P < 0.001) suggest that the acute lesion/perfusion patterns more accurately capture the critical changes in underlying vascular territories. Differences in critical brain regions between timepoints may shed light on recovery patterns. Future studies could focus on a longitudinal design to compare acute and chronic patients in a more controlled manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Busby
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29209, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MA 21287, USA
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MA 21218, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MA 21287, USA
| | - Lisa Bunker
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MA 21287, USA
| | - Chis Rorden
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Roger Newman-Norlund
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29209, USA
| | - Leo Bonilha
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Erin Meier
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MA 21287, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Emily Goldberg
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MA 21287, USA
- Department of Communication Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Language Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Grigori Yourganov
- Advanced Computing and Data Science, Cyberinfrastructure and Technology Integration, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29209, USA
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17
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Kristinsson S, Basilakos A, den Ouden DB, Cassarly C, Spell LA, Bonilha L, Rorden C, Hillis AE, Hickok G, Johnson L, Busby N, Walker GM, McLain A, Fridriksson J. Predicting Outcomes of Language Rehabilitation: Prognostic Factors for Immediate and Long-Term Outcomes After Aphasia Therapy. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:1068-1084. [PMID: 36827514 PMCID: PMC10205105 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aphasia therapy is an effective approach to improve language function in chronic aphasia. However, it remains unclear what prognostic factors facilitate therapy response at the individual level. Here, we utilized data from the POLAR (Predicting Outcomes of Language Rehabilitation in Aphasia) trial to (a) determine therapy-induced change in confrontation naming and long-term maintenance of naming gains and (b) examine the extent to which aphasia severity, age, education, time postonset, and cognitive reserve predict naming gains at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months posttherapy. METHOD A total of 107 participants with chronic (≥ 12 months poststroke) aphasia underwent extensive case history, cognitive-linguistic testing, and a neuroimaging workup prior to receiving 6 weeks of impairment-based language therapy. Therapy-induced change in naming performance (measured as raw change on the 175-item Philadelphia Naming Test [PNT]) was assessed 1 week after therapy and at follow-up time points 1 month and 6 months after therapy completion. Change in naming performance over time was evaluated using paired t tests, and linear mixed-effects models were constructed to examine the association between prognostic factors and therapy outcomes. RESULTS Naming performance was improved by 5.9 PNT items (Cohen's d = 0.56, p < .001) 1 week after therapy and by 6.4 (d = 0.66, p < .001) and 7.5 (d = 0.65, p < .001) PNT items at 1 month and 6 months after therapy completion, respectively. Aphasia severity emerged as the strongest predictor of naming improvement recovery across time points; mild (ß = 5.85-9.02) and moderate (ß = 9.65-11.54) impairment predicted better recovery than severe (ß = 1.31-3.37) and very severe (ß = 0.20-0.32) aphasia. Age was an emergent prognostic factor for recovery 1 month (ß = -0.14) and 6 months (ß = -0.20) after therapy, and time postonset (ß = -0.05) was associated with retention of naming gains at 6 months posttherapy. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that therapy-induced naming improvement is predictable based on several easily measurable prognostic factors. Broadly speaking, these results suggest that prognostication procedures in aphasia therapy can be improved and indicate that personalization of therapy is a realistic goal in the near future. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22141829.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigfus Kristinsson
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Alexandra Basilakos
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Dirk B. den Ouden
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Christy Cassarly
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
| | - Leigh Ann Spell
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Leonardo Bonilha
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
| | - Chris Rorden
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Argye E. Hillis
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - Lisa Johnson
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Natalie Busby
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Grant M. Walker
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - Alexander McLain
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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18
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Altered Spontaneous Brain Activity in Poststroke Aphasia: A Resting-State fMRI Study. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020300. [PMID: 36831843 PMCID: PMC9954170 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Brain areas frequently implicated in language recovery after stroke comprise perilesional sites in the left hemisphere and homotopic regions in the right hemisphere. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying language restoration are still largely unclear. METHODS AND MATERIALS In the present study, we investigated the brain function in 15 patients with poststroke aphasia and 30 matched control subjects by combining the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis methods based on resting-state fMRI. RESULTS Compared to the control subjects, the patients with aphasia exhibited increased ReHo and ALFF values in the ipsilateral perilesional areas and increased ReHo in the contralesional right middle frontal gyrus. CONCLUSIONS The increased spontaneous brain activity in patients with poststroke aphasia during the recovery period, specifically in the ipsilateral perilesional regions and the homologous language regions of the right hemisphere, has potential implications for the treatment of patients with aphasia.
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Barbieri E, Thompson CK, Higgins J, Caplan D, Kiran S, Rapp B, Parrish T. Treatment-induced neural reorganization in aphasia is language-domain specific: Evidence from a large-scale fMRI study. Cortex 2023; 159:75-100. [PMID: 36610109 PMCID: PMC9931666 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Studies investigating the effects of language intervention on the re-organization of language networks in chronic aphasia have resulted in mixed findings, likely related to-among other factors-the language function targeted during treatment. The present study investigated the effects of the type of treatment provided on neural reorganization. Seventy individuals with chronic stroke-induced aphasia, recruited from three research laboratories and meeting criteria for agrammatism, anomia or dysgraphia were assigned to either treatment (N = 51) or control (N = 19) groups. Participants in the treatment group received 12-weeks of language intervention targeting sentence comprehension/production, naming, or spelling. At baseline and post-testing, all participants performed an fMRI story comprehension task, with blocks of auditorily-presented stories alternated with blocks of reversed speech. Participants in the treatment, but not control, group significantly improved in the treated language domain. FMRI region-of-interest (ROI) analyses, conducted within regions that were either active (or homologous to active) regions in a group of 22 healthy participants on the story comprehension task, revealed a significant increase in activation from pre-to post-treatment in right-hemisphere homologues of these regions for participants in the sentence and spelling, but not naming, treatment groups, not predicted by left-hemisphere lesion size. For the sentence (but not the spelling) treatment group, activation changes within right-hemisphere homologues of language regions were positively associated with changes in measures of verb and sentence comprehension. These findings support previous research pointing to recruitment of right hemisphere tissue as a viable route for language recovery and suggest that sentence-level treatment may promote greater neuroplasticity on naturalistic, language comprehension tasks, compared to word-level treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Barbieri
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication, Northwestern University, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication, Northwestern University, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - James Higgins
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 737 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - David Caplan
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Swathi Kiran
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Speech, Language, And Hearing, College of Health & Rehabilitation, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins Univeristy, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Todd Parrish
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 737 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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20
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Shah-Basak P, Boukrina O, Li XR, Jebahi F, Kielar A. Targeted neurorehabilitation strategies in post-stroke aphasia. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2023; 41:129-191. [PMID: 37980575 PMCID: PMC10741339 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-231344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aphasia is a debilitating language impairment, affecting millions of people worldwide. About 40% of stroke survivors develop chronic aphasia, resulting in life-long disability. OBJECTIVE This review examines extrinsic and intrinsic neuromodulation techniques, aimed at enhancing the effects of speech and language therapies in stroke survivors with aphasia. METHODS We discuss the available evidence supporting the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and functional MRI (fMRI) real-time neurofeedback in aphasia rehabilitation. RESULTS This review systematically evaluates studies focusing on efficacy and implementation of specialized methods for post-treatment outcome optimization and transfer to functional skills. It considers stimulation target determination and various targeting approaches. The translation of neuromodulation interventions to clinical practice is explored, emphasizing generalization and functional communication. The review also covers real-time fMRI neurofeedback, discussing current evidence for efficacy and essential implementation parameters. Finally, we address future directions for neuromodulation research in aphasia. CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive review aims to serve as a resource for a broad audience of researchers and clinicians interested in incorporating neuromodulation for advancing aphasia care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga Boukrina
- Kessler Foundation, Center for Stroke Rehabilitation Research, West Orange, NJ, USA
| | - Xin Ran Li
- School of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Fatima Jebahi
- Department of Speech, Languageand Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Aneta Kielar
- Department of Speech, Languageand Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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21
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Fan L, Li C, Huang ZG, Zhao J, Wu X, Liu T, Li Y, Wang J. The longitudinal neural dynamics changes of whole brain connectome during natural recovery from poststroke aphasia. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2022; 36:103190. [PMID: 36174256 PMCID: PMC9668607 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Poststroke aphasia is one of the most dramatic functional deficits that results from direct damage of focal brain regions and dysfunction of large-scale brain networks. The reconstruction of language function depends on the hierarchical whole-brain dynamic reorganization. However, investigations into the longitudinal neural changes of large-scale brain networks for poststroke aphasia remain scarce. Here we characterize large-scale brain dynamics in left-frontal-stroke aphasia through energy landscape analysis. Using fMRI during an auditory comprehension task, we find that aphasia patients suffer serious whole-brain dynamics perturbation in the acute and subacute stages after stroke, in which the brains were restricted into two major activity patterns. Following spontaneous recovery process, the brain flexibility improved in the chronic stage. Critically, we demonstrated that the abnormal neural dynamics are correlated with the aberrant brain network coordination. Taken together, the energy landscape analysis exhibited that the acute poststroke aphasia has a constrained, low dimensional brain dynamics, which were replaced by less constrained and high dimensional dynamics at chronic aphasia. Our study provides a new perspective to profoundly understand the pathological mechanisms of poststroke aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Fan
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China
| | - Chenxi Li
- Department of the Psychology of Military Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, PR China
| | - Zi-gang Huang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China
| | - Jie Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China
| | - Xiaofeng Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China
| | - Tian Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China
| | - Youjun Li
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China,Corresponding authors at: The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, PR China.
| | - Jue Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices. Guangzhou, Guangdong 510500, PR China,The Key Laboratory of Neuro-informatics & Rehabilitation Engineering of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China,Corresponding authors at: The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, PR China.
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22
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Schneider HR, Wawrzyniak M, Stockert A, Klingbeil J, Saur D. fMRI informed voxel-based lesion analysis to identify lesions associated with right-hemispheric activation in aphasia recovery. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103169. [PMID: 36037659 PMCID: PMC9440420 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Several mechanisms have been attributed to post-stroke loss and recovery of language functions. However, the significance and timing of domain-general and homotopic right-hemispheric activation is controversial. We aimed to examine the effect of left-hemispheric lesion location and time post-stroke on right-hemispheric activation. Voxel-based lesion analyses were informed by auditory language-related fMRI activation of 71 patients with left middle cerebral artery stroke examined longitudinally in the acute, subacute and early chronic phase. Language activation was determined in several right-hemispheric regions of interest and served as regressor of interest for voxel-based lesion analyses. We found that an acute to chronic increase of language activation in the right supplementary motor area was associated with lesions to the left extreme capsule as part of the ventral language pathway. Importantly, this activation increase correlated significantly with improvement of out-of-scanner comprehension abilities. We interpret our findings in terms of successful domain-general compensation in patients with critical left frontotemporal disconnection due to damage to the ventral language pathway but relatively spared cortical language areas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Max Wawrzyniak
- Corresponding author at: Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig AöR, Liebigstraße 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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23
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DeMarco AT, van der Stelt C, Paul S, Dvorak E, Lacey E, Snider S, Turkeltaub PE. Absence of Perilesional Neuroplastic Recruitment in Chronic Poststroke Aphasia. Neurology 2022; 99:e119-e128. [PMID: 35508398 PMCID: PMC9280993 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000200382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A prominent theory proposes that neuroplastic recruitment of perilesional tissue supports aphasia recovery, especially when language-capable cortex is spared by smaller lesions. This theory has rarely been tested directly and findings have been inconclusive. We tested the perilesional plasticity hypothesis using 2 fMRI tasks in 2 groups of patients with previous aphasia diagnosis. METHODS Two cohorts totaling 82 patients with chronic left-hemisphere stroke with previous aphasia diagnosis and 82 control participants underwent fMRI using either a naming task or a reliable semantic decision task. Individualized perilesional tissue was defined by dilating anatomical lesions and language regions were defined using meta-analyses. Mixed modeling examined differences in activity between groups. Relationships with lesion size and aphasia severity were examined. RESULTS Patients exhibited reduced activity in perilesional language tissue relative to controls in both tasks. Although a few cortical regions exhibited greater activity irrespective of distance from the lesion, or only when distant from the lesion, no regions exhibited increased activity only when near the lesion. Larger lesions were associated with reduced language activity irrespective of distance from the lesion. Using the reliable fMRI task, reduced language activity was related to aphasia severity independent of lesion size. DISCUSSION We found no evidence for neuroplastic recruitment of perilesional tissue in aphasia beyond its typical role in language. Rather, our findings are consistent with alternative hypotheses that changes in left-hemisphere activation during recovery relate to normalization of language network dysfunction and possibly recruitment of alternate cortical processors. These findings clarify left-hemisphere neuroplastic mechanisms supporting language recovery after stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Tesla DeMarco
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC
| | - Candace van der Stelt
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC
| | - Sachi Paul
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC
| | - Elizabeth Dvorak
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC
| | - Elizabeth Lacey
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC
| | - Sarah Snider
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC
| | - Peter E Turkeltaub
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (A.T.D., P.E.T.) and Neurology (A.T.D., C.v.d.S., S.P., E.D., E.L., S.S., P.E.T.), Georgetown University; and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (E.L., P.E.T.), Washington, DC.
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24
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Kristinsson S, den Ouden DB, Rorden C, Newman-Norlund R, Neils-Strunjas J, Fridriksson J. Predictors of Therapy Response in Chronic Aphasia: Building a Foundation for Personalized Aphasia Therapy. J Stroke 2022; 24:189-206. [PMID: 35677975 PMCID: PMC9194549 DOI: 10.5853/jos.2022.01102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic aphasia, a devastating impairment of language, affects up to a third of stroke survivors. Speech and language therapy has consistently been shown to improve language function in prior clinical trials, but few clinicially applicable predictors of individual therapy response have been identified to date. Consequently, clinicians struggle substantially with prognostication in the clinical management of aphasia. A rising prevalence of aphasia, in particular in younger populations, has emphasized the increasing demand for a personalized approach to aphasia therapy, that is, therapy aimed at maximizing language recovery of each individual with reference to evidence-based clinical recommendations. In this narrative review, we discuss the current state of the literature with respect to commonly studied predictors of therapy response in aphasia. In particular, we focus our discussion on biographical, neuropsychological, and neurobiological predictors, and emphasize limitations of the literature, summarize consistent findings, and consider how the research field can better support the development of personalized aphasia therapy. In conclusion, a review of the literature indicates that future research efforts should aim to recruit larger samples of people with aphasia, including by establishing multisite aphasia research centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigfus Kristinsson
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Correspondence: Sigfus Kristinsson Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29209, USA Tel: +1-803-553-4689 Fax: +1-803-777-9547 E-mail:
| | - Dirk B. den Ouden
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Chris Rorden
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Roger Newman-Norlund
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jean Neils-Strunjas
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
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25
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Structural Integrity and Functional Neural Activity Associated with Oral Language Function after Stroke. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11113028. [PMID: 35683416 PMCID: PMC9180994 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11113028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The impairment of language function after a stroke is common. It is unclear how the brain reorganizes for language function after cerebral infarction. The aim of this observational study is to investigate the association of structural integrity and functional neural activity with language function in aphasic patients with middle cerebral artery infarction. (2) Methods: Magnetic resonance images and scores from the Western Aphasia Battery on 20 patients were retrieved from medical records. A Voxel-wise linear regression analysis was performed using fractional anisotropy maps or the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation maps as dependent variables and scores of oral language function as independent variables while controlling for age and time elapsed after stroke. (3) Results: Spontaneous speech was positively associated with fractional anisotropy in the left dorsal stream and the right posterior corpus callosum and with the fractional amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuation of cranial nuclei in the pontomedullary junction. Comprehension was positively associated with the left ventral stream. Naming was positively associated with the left ventral stream and the bilateral occipitofrontal fasciculus, as well as with the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation of the supramarginal gyrus in the left hemisphere. (4) Conclusions: The dorsal and ventral streams are important for articulation and meaning after the reorganization of neural circuits following stroke. Subdomains of oral language function with a visual component are dependent on the visual association areas located in the right hemisphere.
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26
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Walenski M, Chen Y, Litcofsky KA, Caplan D, Kiran S, Rapp B, Parrish TB, Thompson CK. Perilesional Perfusion in Chronic Stroke-Induced Aphasia and Its Response to Behavioral Treatment Interventions. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2022; 3:345-363. [PMID: 35685084 PMCID: PMC9169892 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Stroke-induced alterations in cerebral blood flow (perfusion) may contribute to functional language impairments in chronic aphasia, particularly in perilesional tissue. Abnormal perfusion in this region may also serve as a biomarker for predicting functional improvements with behavioral treatment interventions. Using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we examined perfusion in chronic aphasia, in perilesional rings in the left hemisphere and their right hemisphere homologues. In the left hemisphere we found a gradient pattern of decreasing perfusion closer to the lesion. The opposite pattern was found in the right hemisphere, with significantly increased perfusion close to the lesion homologue. Perfusion was also increased in the right hemisphere lesion homologue region relative to the surrounding tissue. We next examined changes in perfusion in two groups: one group who underwent MRI scanning before and after three months of a behavioral treatment intervention that led to significant language gains, and a second group who was scanned twice at a three-month interval without a treatment intervention. For both groups, there was no difference in perfusion over time in either the left or the right hemisphere. Moreover, within the treatment group pre-treatment perfusion scores did not predict treatment response; neither did pre-treatment perfusion predict post-treatment language performance. These results indicate that perfusion is chronically abnormal in both hemispheres, but chronically abnormal perfusion did not change in response to our behavioral treatment interventions, and did not predict responsiveness to language treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Walenski
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Yufen Chen
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Kaitlyn A. Litcofsky
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - David Caplan
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Swathi Kiran
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing, College of Health & Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Cognitive Science, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Todd B. Parrish
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Cynthia K. Thompson
- Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
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27
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Schindel D, Mandl L, Schilling R, Meisel A, Schenk L. Guideline adherence in speech and language therapy in stroke aftercare. A health insurance claims data analysis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263397. [PMID: 35113968 PMCID: PMC8812973 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Impairments to comprehension and production of speech (aphasia, dysarthria) and swallowing disorders (dysphagia) are common sequelae of stroke, reducing patients’ quality of life and social participation. Treatment oriented on evidence-based guidelines seems likely to improve outcomes. Currently, little is known about guideline adherence in stroke aftercare for the above-mentioned sequelae. This study aims to analyse guideline adherence in the treatment of aphasia, dysarthria and dysphagia after stroke, based on suitable test parameters, and to determine factors that influence the implementation of recommended therapies. Methods Six test parameters were defined, based on systematic study of guidelines for the treatment of speech impairments and swallowing disorders (e.g. comprehensive diagnostics, early initiation and continuity). Guideline adherence in treatment was tested using claims data from four statutory health insurance companies. Multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses were performed in order to test the outcomes. Results 4,486 stroke patients who were diagnosed with specific disorders or received speech therapy were included in the study. The median age was 78 years; the proportion of women was 55.9%. Within the first year after the stroke, 90.3% of patients were diagnosed with speech impairments and swallowing disorders. Overall, 44.1% of patients received outpatient speech and language therapy aftercare. Women were less frequently diagnosed with specific disorders (OR 0.70 [95%CI:0.55/0.88], p = 0.003) and less frequently received longer therapy sessions (OR 0.64 [95%CI:0.43/0.94], p = 0.022). Older age and longer hospitalization duration increased the likelihood of guideline recommendations being implemented and of earlier initiation of stroke aftercare measures. Conclusions Our observations indicate deficits in the implementation of guideline recommendations in stroke aftercare. At the same time, they underscore the need for regular monitoring of implementation measures in stroke aftercare to address group-based disparities in care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schindel
- Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Lena Mandl
- Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralph Schilling
- Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Meisel
- Center for Stroke Research Berlin, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center and Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Liane Schenk
- Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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28
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Pasquini L, Di Napoli A, Rossi-Espagnet MC, Visconti E, Napolitano A, Romano A, Bozzao A, Peck KK, Holodny AI. Understanding Language Reorganization With Neuroimaging: How Language Adapts to Different Focal Lesions and Insights Into Clinical Applications. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:747215. [PMID: 35250510 PMCID: PMC8895248 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.747215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When the language-dominant hemisphere is damaged by a focal lesion, the brain may reorganize the language network through functional and structural changes known as adaptive plasticity. Adaptive plasticity is documented for triggers including ischemic, tumoral, and epileptic focal lesions, with effects in clinical practice. Many questions remain regarding language plasticity. Different lesions may induce different patterns of reorganization depending on pathologic features, location in the brain, and timing of onset. Neuroimaging provides insights into language plasticity due to its non-invasiveness, ability to image the whole brain, and large-scale implementation. This review provides an overview of language plasticity on MRI with insights for patient care. First, we describe the structural and functional language network as depicted by neuroimaging. Second, we explore language reorganization triggered by stroke, brain tumors, and epileptic lesions and analyze applications in clinical diagnosis and treatment planning. By comparing different focal lesions, we investigate determinants of language plasticity including lesion location and timing of onset, longitudinal evolution of reorganization, and the relationship between structural and functional changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pasquini
- Neuroradiology Service, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
- Neuroradiology Unit, NESMOS Department, Sant’Andrea Hospital, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Di Napoli
- Neuroradiology Unit, NESMOS Department, Sant’Andrea Hospital, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Radiology Department, Castelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Emiliano Visconti
- Neuroradiology Unit, Cesena Surgery and Trauma Department, M. Bufalini Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Antonio Napolitano
- Medical Physics Department, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Romano
- Neuroradiology Unit, NESMOS Department, Sant’Andrea Hospital, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bozzao
- Neuroradiology Unit, NESMOS Department, Sant’Andrea Hospital, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Kyung K. Peck
- Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Andrei I. Holodny
- Neuroradiology Service, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Radiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Weill-Cornell Graduate School of the Medical Sciences, New York, NY, United States
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29
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Li R, Mukadam N, Kiran S. Functional MRI evidence for reorganization of language networks after stroke. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 185:131-150. [PMID: 35078595 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823384-9.00007-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In this chapter, we review fMRI evidence for language reorganization in individuals with poststroke aphasia. Several studies in the current literature have utilized fMRI as a tool to understand patterns of functional reorganization in poststroke aphasia. Consistent with previous models that have been proposed to explain the trajectory of language recovery, differential patterns of language processing and language recovery have been identified across individuals with poststroke aphasia in different stages of recovery. Overall, a global network breakdown typically occurs in the early stages of aphasia recovery, followed by normalization in "traditional" left hemisphere language networks. Depending on individual characteristics, right hemisphere regions and bilateral domain-general regions may be further recruited. The main takeaway of this chapter is that poststroke aphasia recovery does not depend on individual neural regions, but rather involves a complex interaction among regions in larger networks. Many of the unresolved issues and contrastive findings in the literature warrant further research with larger groups of participants and standard protocols of fMRI implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Li
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Nishaat Mukadam
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Swathi Kiran
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.
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30
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Bunker LD, Hillis AE. Vascular syndromes: Revisiting classification of poststroke aphasia. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 185:37-55. [PMID: 35078609 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823384-9.00002-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Over 150 years have passed since the first formal description of aphasia associated with localized neurologic damage. In the years since that time, a significant amount of research has been conducted to identify/explain the locations and functions of the brain regions responsible for (or associated with) language as well as to describe the various types of aphasia resulting from injury to these locations. Many of these attempts to associate somewhat predictable patterns of language deficits with damage to specific structures have been confounded by atypical reports and considerable variability in either the behavioral presentation and/or structural damage that directly contradict/oppose some of the proposed theories. However, considering the aphasias as vascular syndromes, or a collection of symptoms associated with damage to various structures supplied by a specific artery, accounts for both the predictability and the variability seen. This chapter presents a brief history of aphasia classification, the vascular territories commonly associated with aphasia, the different aphasic vascular syndromes, and the typical recovery/evolution of aphasia presentation over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa D Bunker
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Argye Elizabeth Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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31
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Functional differentiation in the language network revealed by lesion-symptom mapping. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118778. [PMID: 34896587 PMCID: PMC8830186 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Theories of language organization in the brain commonly posit that different regions underlie distinct linguistic mechanisms. However, such theories have been criticized on the grounds that many neuroimaging studies of language processing find similar effects across regions. Moreover, condition by region interaction effects, which provide the strongest evidence of functional differentiation between regions, have rarely been offered in support of these theories. Here we address this by using lesion-symptom mapping in three large, partially-overlapping groups of aphasia patients with left hemisphere brain damage due to stroke (N = 121, N = 92, N = 218). We identified multiple measure by region interaction effects, associating damage to the posterior middle temporal gyrus with syntactic comprehension deficits, damage to posterior inferior frontal gyrus with expressive agrammatism, and damage to inferior angular gyrus with semantic category word fluency deficits. Our results are inconsistent with recent hypotheses that regions of the language network are undifferentiated with respect to high-level linguistic processing.
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Truzman T, Rochon E, Meltzer J, Leonard C, Bitan T. Simultaneous Normalization and Compensatory Changes in Right Hemisphere Connectivity during Aphasia Therapy. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1330. [PMID: 34679395 PMCID: PMC8534113 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in brain connectivity during language therapy were examined among participants with aphasia (PWA), aiming to shed light on neural reorganization in the language network. Four PWA with anomia following left hemisphere stroke and eight healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. Two fMRI scans were administered to all participants with a 3.5-month interval. The fMRI scans included phonological and semantic tasks, each consisting of linguistic and perceptual matching conditions. Between the two fMRI scans, PWA underwent Phonological Components Analysis treatment. Changes in effective connectivity during the treatment were examined within right hemisphere (RH) architecture. The results illustrate that following the treatment, the averaged connectivity of PWA across all perceptual and linguistic conditions in both tasks increased resemblance to HC, reflecting the normalization of neural processes associated with silent object name retrieval. In contrast, connections that were specifically enhanced by the phonological condition in PWA decreased in their resemblance to HC, reflecting emerging compensatory reorganization in RH connectivity to support phonological processing. These findings suggest that both normalization and compensation play a role in neural language reorganization at the chronic stage, occurring simultaneously in the same brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammar Truzman
- Communication Sciences and Disorders Department and IIPDM, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Elizabeth Rochon
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehab, University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - Jed Meltzer
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- Psychology Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Carol Leonard
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Tali Bitan
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- Psychology Department and IIPDM, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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33
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Morrison RA, Hays SA, Kilgard MP. Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential Adjuvant to Rehabilitation for Post-stroke Motor Speech Disorders. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:715928. [PMID: 34489632 PMCID: PMC8417469 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.715928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Stroke often leaves lasting impairments affecting orofacial function. While speech therapy is able to enhance function after stroke, many patients see only modest improvements after treatment. This partial restoration of function after rehabilitation suggests that there is a need for further intervention. Rehabilitative strategies that augment the effects of traditional speech therapy hold promise to yield greater efficacy and reduce disability associated with motor speech disorders. Recent studies demonstrate that brief bursts of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can facilitate the benefits of rehabilitative interventions. VNS paired with upper limb rehabilitation enhances recovery of upper limb function in patients with chronic stroke. Animal studies reveal that these improvements are driven by VNS-dependent synaptic plasticity in motor networks. Moreover, preclinical evidence demonstrates that a similar strategy of pairing VNS can promote synaptic reorganization in orofacial networks. Building on these findings, we postulate that VNS-directed orofacial plasticity could target post-stroke motor speech disorders. Here, we outline the rationale for pairing VNS with traditional speech therapy to enhance recovery in the context of stroke of speech motor function. We also explore similar treatments that aim to enhance synaptic plasticity during speech therapy, and how VNS differs from these existing therapeutic strategies. Based on this evidence, we posit that VNS-paired speech therapy shows promise as a means of enhancing recovery after post-stroke motor speech disorders. Continued development is necessary to comprehensively establish and optimize this approach, which has the potential to increase quality of life for the many individuals suffering with these common impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Morrison
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.,Texas Biomedical Device Center, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Seth A Hays
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.,Texas Biomedical Device Center, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.,Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Michael P Kilgard
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.,Texas Biomedical Device Center, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
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34
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Kristinsson S, Basilakos A, Elm J, Spell LA, Bonilha L, Rorden C, den Ouden DB, Cassarly C, Sen S, Hillis A, Hickok G, Fridriksson J. Individualized response to semantic versus phonological aphasia therapies in stroke. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab174. [PMID: 34423302 PMCID: PMC8376685 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Attempts to personalize aphasia treatment to the extent where it is possible to reliably predict individual response to a particular treatment have yielded inconclusive results. The current study aimed to (i) compare the effects of phonologically versus semantically focussed naming treatment and (ii) examine biographical and neuropsychological baseline factors predictive of response to each treatment. One hundred and four individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia underwent 3 weeks of phonologically focussed treatment and 3 weeks of semantically focussed treatment in an unblinded cross-over design. A linear mixed-effects model was used to compare the effects of treatment type on proportional change in correct naming across groups. Correlational analysis and stepwise regression models were used to examine biographical and neuropsychological predictors of response to phonological and semantic treatment across all participants. Last, chi-square tests were used to explore the association between treatment response and phonological and semantic deficit profiles. Semantically focussed treatment was found to be more effective at the group-level, independently of treatment order (P = 0.041). Overall, milder speech and language impairment predicted good response to semantic treatment (r range: 0.256-0.373) across neuropsychological tasks. The Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Spontaneous Speech score emerged as the strongest predictor of semantic treatment response (R 2 = 0.188). Severity of stroke symptoms emerged as the strongest predictor of phonological treatment response (R 2 = 0.103). Participants who showed a good response to semantic treatment were more likely to present with fluent speech compared to poor responders (P = 0.005), whereas participants who showed a good response to phonological treatment were more likely to present with apraxia of speech (P = 0.020). These results suggest that semantic treatment may be more beneficial to the improvement of naming performance in aphasia than phonological treatment, at the group-level. In terms of personalized predictors, participants with relatively mild impairments and fluent speech responded better to semantic treatment, while phonological treatment benefitted participants with more severe impairments and apraxia of speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigfus Kristinsson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Alexandra Basilakos
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Jordan Elm
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Leigh Ann Spell
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Leonardo Bonilha
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Chris Rorden
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Dirk B den Ouden
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Christy Cassarly
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Souvik Sen
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Argye Hillis
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Neurology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Department of Cognitive Sciences and Language Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.,Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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35
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Fergadiotis G, Casilio M, Hula WD, Swiderski A. Computer Adaptive Testing for the Assessment of Anomia Severity. Semin Speech Lang 2021; 42:180-191. [PMID: 34261162 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1727252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Anomia assessment is a fundamental component of clinical practice and research inquiries involving individuals with aphasia, and confrontation naming tasks are among the most commonly used tools for quantifying anomia severity. While currently available confrontation naming tests possess many ideal properties, they are ultimately limited by the overarching psychometric framework they were developed within. Here, we discuss the challenges inherent to confrontation naming tests and present a modern alternative to test development called item response theory (IRT). Key concepts of IRT approaches are reviewed in relation to their relevance to aphasiology, highlighting the ability of IRT to create flexible and efficient tests that yield precise measurements of anomia severity. Empirical evidence from our research group on the application of IRT methods to a commonly used confrontation naming test is discussed, along with future avenues for test development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marianne Casilio
- Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - William D Hula
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Alexander Swiderski
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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36
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Paek EJ, Murray LL, Newman SD. Effects of concurrent action and object naming treatment on naming skills and functional brain activation patterns in primary progressive aphasia: An fMRI study with a case-series design. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 218:104950. [PMID: 33836414 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) exhibit differential impairment patterns in noun and verb naming, but it remains unclear whether anomia treatment results in similar improvements in noun and verb naming. Therefore, we examined the immediate and long-term (3-months post-treatment) behavioral and neural effects of an anomia treatment on object and action naming skills in PPA. A case-series design was utilized involving two individuals with PPA. Object and action words were trained concurrently and probed regularly using word lists matched on a number of lexical characteristics. One participant showed improvements in all word categories with different effect sizes whereas the other participant demonstrated improved naming only on trained object words. Treatment-induced fMRI changes were found in both hemispheres, with distinct patterns observed across participants. Further research is needed to better understand the effects of residual language and cognitive skills on behavioral and neurophysiological outcomes following anomia treatment for PPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Jin Paek
- Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, College of Health Professions, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States.
| | - Laura L Murray
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, London, Ontario N6G 1H1, Canada.
| | - Sharlene D Newman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, United States.
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37
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Sihvonen AJ, Ripollés P, Leo V, Saunavaara J, Parkkola R, Rodríguez-Fornells A, Soinila S, Särkämö T. Vocal music listening enhances post-stroke language network reorganization. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0158-21.2021. [PMID: 34140351 PMCID: PMC8266215 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0158-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Listening to vocal music has been recently shown to improve language recovery in stroke survivors. The neuroplasticity mechanisms supporting this effect are, however, still unknown. Using data from a three-arm single-blind randomized controlled trial including acute stroke patients (N=38) and a 3-month follow-up, we set out to compare the neuroplasticity effects of daily listening to self-selected vocal music, instrumental music, and audiobooks on both brain activity and structural connectivity of the language network. Using deterministic tractography we show that the 3-month intervention induced an enhancement of the microstructural properties of the left frontal aslant tract (FAT) for the vocal music group as compared to the audiobook group. Importantly, this increase in the strength of the structural connectivity of the left FAT correlated with improved language skills. Analyses of stimulus-specific activation changes showed that the vocal music group exhibited increased activations in the frontal termination points of the left FAT during vocal music listening as compared to the audiobook group from acute to 3-month post-stroke stage. The increased activity correlated with the structural neuroplasticity changes in the left FAT. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of vocal music listening on post-stroke language recovery are underpinned by structural neuroplasticity changes within the language network and extend our understanding of music-based interventions in stroke rehabilitation.Significance statementPost-stroke language deficits have a devastating effect on patients and their families. Current treatments yield highly variable outcomes and the evidence for their long-term effects is limited. Patients often receive insufficient treatment that are predominantly given outside the optimal time window for brain plasticity. Post-stroke vocal music listening improves language outcome which is underpinned by neuroplasticity changes within the language network. Vocal music listening provides a complementary rehabilitation strategy which could be safely implemented in the early stages of stroke rehabilitation and seems to specifically target language symptoms and recovering language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksi J Sihvonen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Pablo Ripollés
- Department of Psychology, New York University, USA
- Music and Audio Research Laboratory, New York University, USA
- Center for Language Music and emotion, New York UniversityUSA
| | - Vera Leo
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jani Saunavaara
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Finland
| | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Department of Cognition, Development and Education Psychology, University of Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain
- Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Finland
| | - Seppo Soinila
- Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Finland
| | - Teppo Särkämö
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Abbott NT, Baker CJ, Chen C, Liu TT, Love TE. Defining Hypoperfusion in Chronic Aphasia: An Individualized Thresholding Approach. Brain Sci 2021; 11:491. [PMID: 33924446 PMCID: PMC8070458 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the aphasia literature, it is common to link location of lesioned brain tissue to specific patterns of language impairment. This has provided valuable insight into the relationship between brain structure and function, but it does not capture important underlying alterations in function of regions that remain structurally intact. Research has demonstrated that in the chronic stage of aphasia, variable patterns of reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF; hypoperfusion) in structurally intact regions of the brain contribute to persisting language impairments. However, one consistent issue in this literature is a lack of clear consensus on how to define hypoperfusion, which may lead to over- or underestimation of tissue functionality. In the current study, we conducted an exploratory analysis in six individuals with chronic aphasia (>1 year post-onset) using perfusion imaging to (1) suggest a new, individualized metric for defining hypoperfusion; (2) identify the extent of hypoperfused tissue in perilesional bands; and (3) explore the relationship between hypoperfusion and language impairment. Results indicated that our individualized metric for defining hypoperfusion provided greater precision when identifying functionally impaired tissue and its effects on language function in chronic aphasia. These results have important implications for intervention approaches that target intact (or impaired) brain tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelle T. Abbott
- San Diego State University and University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA; (C.J.B.); (T.E.L.)
| | - Carolyn J. Baker
- San Diego State University and University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA; (C.J.B.); (T.E.L.)
| | - Conan Chen
- Center for Functional MRI and Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA; (C.C.); (T.T.L.)
| | - Thomas T. Liu
- Center for Functional MRI and Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA; (C.C.); (T.T.L.)
| | - Tracy E. Love
- San Diego State University and University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA; (C.J.B.); (T.E.L.)
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
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Stoyell SM, Wilmskoetter J, Dobrota MA, Chinappen DM, Bonilha L, Mintz M, Brinkmann BH, Herman ST, Peters JM, Vulliemoz S, Seeck M, Hämäläinen MS, Chu CJ. High-Density EEG in Current Clinical Practice and Opportunities for the Future. J Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 38:112-123. [PMID: 33661787 PMCID: PMC8083969 DOI: 10.1097/wnp.0000000000000807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY High-density EEG (HD-EEG) recordings use a higher spatial sampling of scalp electrodes than a standard 10-20 low-density EEG montage. Although several studies have demonstrated improved localization of the epileptogenic cortex using HD-EEG, widespread implementation is impeded by cost, setup and interpretation time, and lack of specific or sufficient procedural billing codes. Despite these barriers, HD-EEG has been in use at several institutions for years. These centers have noted utility in a variety of clinical scenarios where increased spatial resolution from HD-EEG has been required, justifying the extra time and cost. We share select scenarios from several centers, using different recording techniques and software, where HD-EEG provided information above and beyond the standard low-density EEG. We include seven cases where HD-EEG contributed directly to current clinical care of epilepsy patients and highlight two novel techniques which suggest potential opportunities to improve future clinical care. Cases illustrate how HD-EEG allows clinicians to: case 1-lateralize falsely generalized interictal epileptiform discharges; case 2-improve localization of falsely generalized epileptic spasms; cases 3 and 4-improve localization of interictal epileptiform discharges in anatomic regions below the circumferential limit of standard low-density EEG coverage; case 5-improve noninvasive localization of the seizure onset zone in lesional epilepsy; cases 6 and 7-improve localization of the seizure onset zone to guide invasive investigation near eloquent cortex; case 8-identify epileptic fast oscillations; and case 9-map language cortex. Together, these nine cases illustrate that using both visual analysis and advanced techniques, HD-EEG can play an important role in clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally M Stoyell
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Janina Wilmskoetter
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A
| | - Mary-Ann Dobrota
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | | | - Leonardo Bonilha
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A
| | - Mark Mintz
- The Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health, Voorhees, New Jersey, U.S.A
| | | | - Susan T Herman
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Jurriaan M Peters
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Serge Vulliemoz
- EEG and Epilepsy Unit, University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Margitta Seeck
- EEG and Epilepsy Unit, University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Matti S Hämäläinen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, U.S.A
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Catherine J Chu
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
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40
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Dreyer FR, Doppelbauer L, Büscher V, Arndt V, Stahl B, Lucchese G, Hauk O, Mohr B, Pulvermüller F. Increased Recruitment of Domain-General Neural Networks in Language Processing Following Intensive Language-Action Therapy: fMRI Evidence From People With Chronic Aphasia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2021; 30:455-465. [PMID: 32830988 PMCID: PMC7613191 DOI: 10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to provide novel insights into the neural correlates of language improvement following intensive language-action therapy (ILAT; also known as constraint-induced aphasia therapy). Method Sixteen people with chronic aphasia underwent clinical aphasia assessment (Aachen Aphasia Test [AAT]), as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), both administered before (T1) and after ILAT (T2). The fMRI task included passive reading of single written words, with hashmark strings as visual baseline. Results Behavioral results indicated significant improvements of AAT scores across therapy, and fMRI results showed T2-T1 blood oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal change in the left precuneus to be modulated by the degree of AAT score increase. Subsequent region-of-interest analysis of this precuneus cluster confirmed a positive correlation of T2-T1 BOLD signal change and improvement on the clinical aphasia test. Similarly, the entire default mode network revealed a positive correlation between T2-T1 BOLD signal change and clinical language improvement. Conclusion These results are consistent with a more efficient recruitment of domain-general neural networks in language processing, including those involved in attentional control, following aphasia therapy with ILAT. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12765755.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix R. Dreyer
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity, Image Space Material, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Lea Doppelbauer
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany
| | - Verena Büscher
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Verena Arndt
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stahl
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Psychologische Hochschule Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Olaf Hauk
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Science Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Bettina Mohr
- ZeNIS-Centre for Neuropsychology and Intensive Language Therapy, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Friedemann Pulvermüller
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity, Image Space Material, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany
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41
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Thompson CK, Barbieri E, Mack JE, Wilkins A, Xie KY. Plasticity of sentence processing networks: evidence from a patient with agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Neurocase 2021; 27:39-56. [PMID: 33378229 PMCID: PMC8026534 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2020.1862241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
This study reports the results of a longitudinal study examining the effects of treatment for sentence processing deficits for a 70-year-old gentleman (DK) with the agrammatic variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). On entry into the study, he presented with a 2-year history of impaired verb and sentence processing and concomitant neural atrophy in primarily subcortical regions. Spanning an 18-month period, treatment focused on improving comprehension and production of syntactically complex, passive and object cleft, structures, consecutively. Results, derived from extensive behavioral and neurocognitive testing, showed not only improved ability to comprehend and produce both trained and untrained, less complex, linguistically related structures in offline tasks, but also improved online sentence processing strategies as revealed by partially normalized eye movements in online comprehension (i.e., emergence of thematic prediction and thematic integration) and production (i.e., use of incremental processing) tasks. Changes in neural activation from pre- to post-treatment of both structures also were found, with upregulation of tissue in both the left and right hemispheres, overlapping with regions recruited by neurotypical adults performing the same task. These findings indicate that Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUF) is effective for treatment of patients with the agrammatic variant of PPA (as it is for those with stroke-induced agrammatism), and show that unaffected neural tissue in patients with PPA is malleable and may be recruited to support language, providing evidence of experience-based plasticity in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia K. Thompson
- Aphasia and Neurolinguistics Research Laboratory, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
- Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Elena Barbieri
- Aphasia and Neurolinguistics Research Laboratory, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Jennifer E. Mack
- Aphasia and Neurolinguistics Research Laboratory, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Aaron Wilkins
- Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Kathy Y. Xie
- Aphasia and Neurolinguistics Research Laboratory, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
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Wilson SM, Schneck SM. Neuroplasticity in post-stroke aphasia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of functional imaging studies of reorganization of language processing. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2021; 2:22-82. [PMID: 33884373 PMCID: PMC8057712 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Recovery from aphasia is thought to depend on neural plasticity, that is, functional reorganization of surviving brain regions such that they take on new or expanded roles in language processing. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of all articles published between 1995 and early 2020 that have described functional imaging studies of six or more individuals with post-stroke aphasia, and have reported analyses bearing on neuroplasticity of language processing. Each study was characterized and appraised in detail, with particular attention to three critically important methodological issues: task performance confounds, contrast validity, and correction for multiple comparisons. We identified 86 studies describing a total of 561 relevant analyses. We found that methodological limitations related to task performance confounds, contrast validity, and correction for multiple comparisons have been pervasive. Only a few claims about language processing in individuals with aphasia are strongly supported by the extant literature: first, left hemisphere language regions are less activated in individuals with aphasia than neurologically normal controls, and second, in cohorts with aphasia, activity in left hemisphere language regions, and possibly a temporal lobe region in the right hemisphere, is positively correlated with language function. There is modest, equivocal evidence for the claim that individuals with aphasia differentially recruit right hemisphere homotopic regions, but no compelling evidence for differential recruitment of additional left hemisphere regions or domain-general networks. There is modest evidence that left hemisphere language regions return to function over time, but no compelling longitudinal evidence for dynamic reorganization of the language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M. Wilson
- Address for correspondence: Stephen M. Wilson, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1215 21st Ave S, MCE 8310, Nashville, TN 37232. Phone: 615-936-5810.
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Schevenels K, Price CJ, Zink I, De Smedt B, Vandermosten M. A Review on Treatment-Related Brain Changes in Aphasia. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2020; 1:402-433. [PMID: 37215585 PMCID: PMC10158631 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have investigated brain changes associated with interventions targeting a range of language problems in patients with aphasia. We strive to integrate the results of these studies to examine (1) whether the focus of the intervention (i.e., phonology, semantics, orthography, syntax, or rhythmic-melodic) determines in which brain regions changes occur; and (2a) whether the most consistent changes occur within the language network or outside, and (2b) whether these are related to individual differences in language outcomes. The results of 32 studies with 204 unique patients were considered. Concerning (1), the location of treatment-related changes does not clearly depend on the type of language processing targeted. However, there is some support that rhythmic-melodic training has more impact on the right hemisphere than linguistic training. Concerning (2), we observed that language recovery is not only associated with changes in traditional language-related structures in the left hemisphere and homolog regions in the right hemisphere, but also with more medial and subcortical changes (e.g., precuneus and basal ganglia). Although it is difficult to draw strong conclusions, because there is a lack of systematic large-scale studies on this topic, this review highlights the need for an integrated approach to investigate how language interventions impact on the brain. Future studies need to focus on larger samples preserving subject-specific information (e.g., lesion effects) to cope with the inherent heterogeneity of stroke-induced aphasia. In addition, recovery-related changes in whole-brain connectivity patterns need more investigation to provide a comprehensive neural account of treatment-related brain plasticity and language recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Schevenels
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cathy J. Price
- Welcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
| | - Inge Zink
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Keator LM, Basilakos A, Rorden C, Elm J, Bonilha L, Fridriksson J. Clinical Implementation of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Aphasia: A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 29:1376-1388. [PMID: 32437243 PMCID: PMC7893518 DOI: 10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The objectives of this study are to (a) identify speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') familiarity with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), (b) quantify what SLPs consider necessary tDCS-related improvement in aphasia severity (i.e., tDCS enhancement; desired improvement above and beyond traditional behavioral therapy) to implement this adjuvant therapy for the clinical management of aphasia, and (c) identify concerns that could potentially hinder the clinical adoption of tDCS. Method A brief (14-question) survey was disseminated via e-mail and social media outlets targeting SLPs working with individuals with aphasia. Results Two hundred twenty-one individuals responded, and 155 valid surveys were analyzed. Seventy-one percent of participants reported familiarity with tDCS prior to taking the survey. Clinicians reported a desired mean enhancement of 22.9% additional points on the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient. Importantly, 94.2% of SLPs reported concerns regarding the implementation of tDCS in clinical settings (i.e., safety, cost, administrative approval, reimbursement and training). Conclusions This is the first study to identify SLPs' perspectives regarding the clinical adoption of tDCS. Results suggest the majority of queried SLPs were familiar with tDCS prior to taking the survey. Although SLPs report a desired improvement of approximately 23% additional points on the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient to consider adopting tDCS into practice, many SLPs reported concerns regarding clinical adoption. Responses from the current survey offer important preliminary evidence to begin bridging the research-to-practice gap as it relates to the clinical implementation of tDCS. Relatedly, these results will inform future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynsey M. Keator
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Alexandra Basilakos
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Christopher Rorden
- McCausland Center For Brain Imaging, University of South Carolina, Columbia
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Jordan Elm
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
| | - Leonardo Bonilha
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia
- McCausland Center For Brain Imaging, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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Clinical and neuroimaging factors associated with aphasia severity in stroke patients: diffusion tensor imaging study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12874. [PMID: 32733102 PMCID: PMC7393375 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69741-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated factors associated with aphasia severity at both 2 weeks and 3 months after stroke using demographic and clinical variables, brain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters, and lesion volume measurements. Patients with left hemisphere stroke were assessed at 2 weeks (n = 68) and at 3 months (n = 20) after stroke. Demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging data were collected; language functions were assessed using the Western Aphasia Battery. For neuroimaging, DTI parameters, including the laterality index (LI) of fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity, mean diffusivity and fibre density (FD) of the arcuate fasciculus (AF), and lesion volume, were measured. Lesion volume, cortical involvement, and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score significantly predicted aphasia severity at 2 weeks after stroke, whereas the aphasia quotient and presence of depression during the early subacute stage were significant predictors at 3 months after stroke. According to Pearson correlation, LI-AD and LI-FD were significantly correlated with the aphasia quotient 2 weeks after ischaemic stroke, and the LI-FA was significantly correlated with the aphasia quotient 2 weeks after haemorrhagic stroke, suggesting that the extent and mechanism of AF injuries differ between ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes. These differences may contribute to aphasia severity.
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Stockert A, Wawrzyniak M, Klingbeil J, Wrede K, Kümmerer D, Hartwigsen G, Kaller CP, Weiller C, Saur D. Dynamics of language reorganization after left temporo-parietal and frontal stroke. Brain 2020; 143:844-861. [PMID: 32068789 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss and recovery of language functions are still incompletely understood. This longitudinal functional MRI study investigated the neural mechanisms underlying language recovery in patients with post-stroke aphasia putting particular emphasis on the impact of lesion site. To identify patterns of language-related activation, an auditory functional MRI sentence comprehension paradigm was administered to patients with circumscribed lesions of either left frontal (n = 17) or temporo-parietal (n = 17) cortex. Patients were examined repeatedly during the acute (≤1 week, t1), subacute (1-2 weeks, t2) and chronic phase (>6 months, t3) post-stroke; healthy age-matched control subjects (n = 17) were tested once. The separation into two patient groups with circumscribed lesions allowed for a direct comparison of the contributions of distinct lesion-dependent network components to language reorganization between both groups. We hypothesized that activation of left hemisphere spared and perilesional cortex as well as lesion-homologue cortex in the right hemisphere varies between patient groups and across time. In addition, we expected that domain-general networks serving cognitive control independently contribute to language recovery. First, we found a global network disturbance in the acute phase that is characterized by reduced functional MRI language activation including areas distant to the lesion (i.e. diaschisis) and subsequent subacute network reactivation (i.e. resolution of diaschisis). These phenomena were driven by temporo-parietal lesions. Second, we identified a lesion-independent sequential activation pattern with increased activity of perilesional cortex and bilateral domain-general networks in the subacute phase followed by reorganization of left temporal language areas in the chronic phase. Third, we observed involvement of lesion-homologue cortex only in patients with frontal but not temporo-parietal lesions. Fourth, irrespective of lesion location, language reorganization predominantly occurred in pre-existing networks showing comparable activation in healthy controls. Finally, we detected different relationships of performance and activation in language and domain-general networks demonstrating the functional relevance for language recovery. Our findings highlight that the dynamics of language reorganization clearly depend on lesion location and hence open new perspectives for neurobiologically motivated strategies of language rehabilitation, such as individually-tailored targeted application of neuro-stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Stockert
- Language and Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Max Wawrzyniak
- Language and Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julian Klingbeil
- Language and Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katrin Wrede
- Language and Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dorothee Kümmerer
- Department of Neurology, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group, Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute of Human and Cognitive Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christoph P Kaller
- Department of Neurology, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Cornelius Weiller
- Department of Neurology, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dorothee Saur
- Language and Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Copland DA. Elizabeth Usher Memorial Lecture: Lost in Translation? Challenges and future prospects for a neurobiological approach to aphasia rehabilitation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 22:270-280. [PMID: 32686593 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2020.1768287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
While there has been considerable progress in conducting trials of aphasia therapy, there is no consistent evidence for long-term benefits of aphasia treatment, suggesting the need to reconsider current approaches. There are also no accurate methods for determining the amount, type and timing of aphasia therapy that should be provided for an individual. At the same time, there has been increasing interest in applying various principles of neuroplasticity to aphasia treatment and using measures of brain structure and function to predict recovery. This article will consider the potential of neuroplasticity principles and neurobiological predictors to improve our current approach to aphasia rehabilitation and optimise outcomes. Reviewing these principles highlights some of the challenges of translating animal model-based principles and emphases the need to also consider relevant theories of human learning. While considerable progress has been made in considering neurobiological principles and using measures of brain structure and function to predict recovery, there is significant work required to achieve the full potential of this neurobiological approach to aphasia management.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Copland
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Centre for Clinical Research, Queensland Aphasia Rehabilitation Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
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Alterations to dual stream connectivity predicts response to aphasia therapy following stroke. Cortex 2020; 125:30-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Enhancing Stroke Recovery Across the Life Span With Noninvasive Neurostimulation. J Clin Neurophysiol 2020; 37:150-163. [DOI: 10.1097/wnp.0000000000000543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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Spell LA, Richardson JD, Basilakos A, Stark BC, Teklehaimanot A, Hillis AE, Fridriksson J. Developing, Implementing, and Improving Assessment and Treatment Fidelity in Clinical Aphasia Research. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 29:286-298. [PMID: 31990598 PMCID: PMC7231909 DOI: 10.1044/2019_ajslp-19-00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the development and implementation of a fidelity program for an ongoing, multifacility, aphasia intervention study and to explain how initial fidelity measures are being used to improve study integrity. Method A Clinical Core team developed and incorporated a fidelity plan in this study. The aims of the Clinical Core team were to (a) supervise data collection and data management at each clinical site, (b) optimize and monitor assessment fidelity, and (c) optimize and monitor treatment fidelity. Preliminary data are being used to guide ongoing efforts to preserve and improve the fidelity of this intervention study. Results Preliminary results show that specific recruitment strategies help to improve appropriate referrals and that accommodations to participants and their families help to maintain excellent retention. A streamlined and centralized training program assures the reliability of assessors and raters for the study's assessment and treatment protocols. Ongoing monitoring of both assessment and treatment tasks helps to maintain study integrity. Less-than-optimal interrater reliability data for the raters of some of the discourse measures guided the Clinical Core team to address the training and coding inconsistencies in a timely manner. Conclusions The creation of a Clinical Core team is instrumental in developing and implementing a fidelity plan for improved assessment and treatment fidelity. Intentional planning and assignment of study staff to implement and monitor ongoing fidelity measures assures that clinical data are reliable and valid. Ongoing review of the plan shows areas of strengths and weaknesses for continuing adjustments and improvement of study fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh Ann Spell
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | | | - Alexandra Basilakos
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - Brielle C. Stark
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University Bloomington
| | - Abeba Teklehaimanot
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
| | - Argye E. Hillis
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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