TY - JOUR
T1 - Computerized Training in Poststroke Aphasia
T2 - What About the Long-Term Effects? A Randomized Clinical Trial
AU - De Luca, Rosaria
AU - Aragona, Bianca
AU - Leonardi, Simona
AU - Torrisi, Michele
AU - Galletti, Bruno
AU - Galletti, Franco
AU - Accorinti, Maria
AU - Bramanti, Placido
AU - De Cola, Maria Cristina
AU - Calabrò, Rocco Salvatore
N1 - Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/8
Y1 - 2018/8
N2 - BACKGROUND: Poststroke aphasia is a very disabling disorder, which may affect speech expression, comprehension, and reading or writing. Treatment of aphasia should be initiated as soon as possible after the brain injury; however, the improvement of language functions can occur also in the chronic phase.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (17 patients) treated with computerized rehabilitation training (Power-Afa, Maddaloni, Campania, Italy) or a control group (15 patients), submitted to conventional speech therapy. Patients were trained 3 times a week for 8 weeks, (i.e., 24 sessions of 45 minutes each), and assessed at baseline (T0), at the end of each training (T1), and 3 months after the end of the treatment (T2).RESULTS: The experimental group had a significant improvement from T0 to T1 in all the outcomes, whereas for the control group patients such an improvement was significant only concerning Functional Independence Measure and ideomotor praxis. Notably, the improvements in cognitive and language functions were maintained at 3-month follow-up only in the experimental group.CONCLUSIONS: The software Power-Afa can be considered a valuable tool in improving the linguistic and cognitive recovery in patients affected by poststroke aphasia in the chronic phase. Further studies with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm such promising findings.
AB - BACKGROUND: Poststroke aphasia is a very disabling disorder, which may affect speech expression, comprehension, and reading or writing. Treatment of aphasia should be initiated as soon as possible after the brain injury; however, the improvement of language functions can occur also in the chronic phase.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (17 patients) treated with computerized rehabilitation training (Power-Afa, Maddaloni, Campania, Italy) or a control group (15 patients), submitted to conventional speech therapy. Patients were trained 3 times a week for 8 weeks, (i.e., 24 sessions of 45 minutes each), and assessed at baseline (T0), at the end of each training (T1), and 3 months after the end of the treatment (T2).RESULTS: The experimental group had a significant improvement from T0 to T1 in all the outcomes, whereas for the control group patients such an improvement was significant only concerning Functional Independence Measure and ideomotor praxis. Notably, the improvements in cognitive and language functions were maintained at 3-month follow-up only in the experimental group.CONCLUSIONS: The software Power-Afa can be considered a valuable tool in improving the linguistic and cognitive recovery in patients affected by poststroke aphasia in the chronic phase. Further studies with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm such promising findings.
KW - Aphasia/etiology
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Least-Squares Analysis
KW - Linear Models
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Neuropsychological Tests
KW - Single-Blind Method
KW - Software
KW - Speech Therapy
KW - Stroke/complications
KW - Stroke Rehabilitation
KW - Therapy, Computer-Assisted
KW - Treatment Outcome
U2 - 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2018.04.019
DO - 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2018.04.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 29880209
VL - 27
SP - 2271
EP - 2276
JO - Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases
JF - Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases
SN - 1052-3057
IS - 8
ER -