Leukoaraiosis Is Associated With a Decline in Language Abilities in Chronic Aphasia.
Alexandra Basilakos, Brielle C Stark, Lisa Johnson and 4 others
PMID 31315507WHAT IT FOUND
More severe white matter changes on MRI were associated with worsening language scores over time in chronic post-stroke aphasia.
Higher Fazekas scores predicted decline on the Western Aphasia Battery.
Key findings
01More severe white matter changes were associated with declining Western Aphasia Battery scores over time.
02For every one-point increase in Fazekas score, Western Aphasia Battery AQ decreased by 2.6 points.
03Fazekas scores were not correlated with initial aphasia severity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and retrospective, so it cannot show cause. The sample was mostly male and younger than the usual stroke population. Researchers could not account for therapy received outside the study setting, which may have affected language outcomes. Risk factors for white matter changes, such as diabetes and vascular disease, were not controlled. Some participants may later develop neurodegenerative disease, which could explain decline.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that white matter changes cause language decline. The study was retrospective and only showed an association over time.