Towards More Effective Treatments in Stroke-Induced Aphasia: A Discussion of the Evolution of Treatment Programs.

THEORETICAL

BACKGROUND

As the number of patients with post-stroke aphasia continues to rise, the need for implementing effective rehabilitation interventions that can comprehensively address the complex clinical, cognitive, and linguistic profile of patients with aphasia (PWA) becomes mandatory.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this review paper is to systematize the existing literature concerning the multiple rehabilitation interventions that target linguistic and non-linguistic deficits of PWA.

METHOD: Our article provides a narrative review, comprised of English language articles retrieved from academic databases, such as PubMed, SpringerLink, and ScienceDirect. The search period spans from January 1990 to April 2024.

RESULTS

The categorization of non-linguistic interventions in post-stroke PWA follows three distinct pathways. One line of research focuses on cognitive training of specific cognitive domains, the other focuses on more comprehensive rehabilitation paradigms, while the third combines typical Speech Language Therapy (SLT) with non-linguistic cognitive rehabilitation interventions.

CONCLUSION

Given the complexity of clinical manifestations of aphasia, the multifaceted cognitive profile of PWA, as well as the methodological variation of the research dedicated to rehabilitation interventions, the answer to the question of intervention effectiveness remains elusive.