| Autor: |
Doppelbauer L; Brain Language Laboratory, 9166Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Berlin, Germany.; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Mohr B; Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.; ZeNIS - Centre for Neuropsychology and Intensive Language Therapy, Berlin, Germany., Dreyer FR; Brain Language Laboratory, 9166Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Cluster of Excellence 'Matters of Activity', Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Stahl B; Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Neurology, 60634Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.; Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.; Psychologische Hochschule Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Büscher V; Brain Language Laboratory, 9166Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Pulvermüller F; Brain Language Laboratory, 9166Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Berlin, Germany.; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Cluster of Excellence 'Matters of Activity', Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. |
| Abstrakt: |
Background. Intensive aphasia therapy can improve language functions in chronic aphasia over a short therapy interval of 2-4 weeks. For one intensive method, intensive language-action therapy , beneficial effects are well documented by a range of randomized controlled trials. However, it is unclear to date whether therapy-related improvements are maintained over years. Objective. The current study aimed at investigating long-term stability of ILAT treatment effects over circa 1-2 years (8-30 months). Methods. 38 patients with chronic aphasia participated in ILAT and were re-assessed at a follow-up assessment 8-30 months after treatment, which had been delivered 6-12.5 hours per week for 2-4 weeks. Results. A standardized clinical aphasia battery, the Aachen Aphasia Test, revealed significant improvements with ILAT that were maintained for up to 2.5 years. Improvements were relatively better preserved in comparatively young patients (<60 years). Measures of communicative efficacy confirmed improvements during intensive therapy but showed inconsistent long-term stability effects. Conclusions. The present data indicate that gains resulting from intensive speech-language therapy with ILAT are maintained up to 2.5 years after the end of treatment. We discuss this novel finding in light of a possible move from sparse to intensive therapy regimes in clinical practice. |
