White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Response to Language Treatment in Poststroke Aphasia.
Maria Varkanitsa, Claudia Peñaloza, Andreas Charidimou and 2 others
PMID 32924765WHAT IT FOUND
In 30 people with post-stroke aphasia, more right hemisphere white matter changes on MRI, especially deep white matter lesions, predicted poorer response to language treatment even after accounting for age, education, lesion volume, and aphasia severity.
Key findings
01More severe deep white matter changes in the right hemisphere were associated with poorer response to language treatment.
02Higher overall right-hemisphere white matter burden was also associated with poorer response to language treatment.
03Aphasia severity was associated with response, with less severe aphasia linked to better response.
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, with 30 participants, so the findings need replication in larger samples. The study was retrospective and cross-sectional, so it cannot prove cause and effect. All participants received the same semantic feature analysis protocol, so results may not generalize to other aphasia treatments. Time since stroke varied widely, and treatment start time was not controlled. White matter changes were rated visually with the Fazekas scale rather than measured with volumetric methods.
Declared interests
The paper lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. Swathi Kiran serves as a consultant for The Learning Corporation with no scientific overlap with the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that white matter changes caused poorer treatment response. This was a small retrospective study of 30 participants using semantic feature analysis treatment, and the authors call for replication with other treatments.