Aphasia in brain-damaged adult patients refers "to the more or less complete loss of the ability to use language" resulting from acquired brain damage, typically of the left hemisphere. The defective spoken output of persons with aphasia (PWA) has anomia as a main clinical manifestation. Improving anomia is a main goal of any language treatment. The present randomized controlled study assessed the effectiveness of a novel, two-week, rehabilitation protocol (PHOLEXSEM), focused on PHonological, SEmantic, and LExical deficits, aiming at improving lexical retrieval, and, generally, spoken output. The effects of the PHOLEXSEM treatment were compared to those of a control treatment, i.e., a Promoting Aphasics Communicative Effectiveness (PACE) protocol. Finally, we studied the effects of age, education, disease duration, brain lesion volume, and functional independence (Functional Idependence Measure, FIM) on the treatment-induced linguistic improvements.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
44
Change from baseline in the Neuropsychological Examination of Language (ENPA)
A test for aphasia assessment in the Italian population
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Change from baseline in phonemic fluency
To assess lexical retrieval based on a letter
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Change from baseline in semantic fluency
To assess lexical retrieval based on a semantic category
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Change from baseline in syntagma repetition
The syntagma repetition test from the Aachner Aphasie Test (AAT)
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Change from baseline in the auditory digit span
To assess auditory verbal short-term memory
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Change from baseline in the word repetition span
To assess auditory verbal short-term memory, with words stimuli
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Change from baseline in the Token Test
To assess auditory language comprehension
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the intervention.
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