Abstract
Background and purpose
Non-linguistic cognitive impairments may limit rehabilitation efficacy in patients
with aphasia. The aim of this study was to determine whether post-stroke aphasia was
associated with impairments of visuo-spatial working memory and abstract thinking
and whether these deficits adversely affected language recovery.
Methods
Baseline visuo-spatial memory and abstract thinking abilities were assessed in 78
patients with post-stroke aphasia and 38 healthy controls. Then, 47 of the 78 patients
with aphasia completed three weeks of speech and language training. Therapy outcome
was assessed by comparing pre- and post-treatment scores on the Boston Diagnostic
Aphasia Examination.
Results
Even though the patients' non-linguistic cognitive abilities were impaired in general,
the patients were heterogeneous with regard to their deficits. Linguistic and non-linguistic
deficits appeared to be distinct, although they could be concurrent. Visuo-spatial
working memory was associated with the degree of improvement in two functions crucial
to language communication: naming and comprehension. No relationship was found between language therapy outcome and abstract thinking
ability.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 09, 2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
