TOPIC

Aphasia research

Everything we have read on aphasia. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

320 PAPERS · PAGE 1 OF 7 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTSLPQualitative2020Recalibrating hope: A longitudinal study of the experiences of people with aphasia after stroke.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesFour people with aphasia kept broad hope while revising specific hopes over the year after stroke. Hope depended on perceived progress, meaningful roles, and social connection.
• SLPSystematic Review2020Constraint-induced aphasia therapy for patients with aphasia: A systematic review.International journal of nursing sciencesConstraint-induced aphasia therapy did not clearly beat usual speech therapy on naming tests or Aachen scores. Western Aphasia Battery total and naming improved, but results were mixed and based on small trials.
• SLPOtherSupported Communication Video Training for the Nursing Department in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital.Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation NursesA 10-minute online aphasia communication video improved nursing staff's self-reported confidence and knowledge right after training. It did not show better patient care, and no follow-up or comparison group was included.
• SLPQualitative2022Nurses' experiences of communicating with patients with aphasia.Nursing openNurses described communicating with patients with aphasia as frustrating and time-consuming. They often relied on caregivers for assessment and education, felt guilty about inadequate care, and wanted formal training and ward communication aids.
• SLPRNQualitative2025Need for Human Interaction and Acknowledging Communication-An Interview Study With Patients With Aphasia Following Stroke.Journal of advanced nursingStroke patients with aphasia described nurse communication as almost exclusively task-focused. They valued staff who gave time, spoke quietly, avoided guessing, explained care, and treated them as equal human beings.
• OTSLPOther2026'It Is of Course About Being Human Together': Co-Development of a Primary Progressive Aphasia Awareness Campaign to Enhance Understanding of Speech and Language Therapy.International journal of language & communication disordersPeople with primary progressive aphasia and families co-created an awareness campaign. UK webinar feedback from 61 respondents rated the event 9.2 of 10, and many said it increased knowledge of PPA and speech therapy. It does not show more referrals.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Exploring the Effectiveness of Technology-Based Interventions in Aphasia Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review.International journal of language & communication disordersTechnology-based word-finding therapy helped trained words when therapy reached the recommended 20 hours. Other language domains were less consistent, and AI assessment accuracy did not yet show real-life patient benefit.
• SLPCohort2026Communication Confidence, Aphasia Severity and Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study in People With Post-Stroke Aphasia.International journal of language & communication disordersIn chronic aphasia, communication confidence was associated with milder aphasia severity and higher general confidence. Over six to seven months, general confidence and well-being increased, while language and communication confidence stayed similar. Self-reported change often differed from scores.
• PTSLPPilot2026The Aphasia Physical EXercise (APEX) study: feasibility of a new high-intensity functional interval training for stroke survivors with aphasia.AphasiologyHigh-intensity interval training was safe and well attended by 6 stroke survivors with aphasia, but language and cognitive changes did not reach significance; aerobic endurance improved.
• SLPOther2016Performance Variability as a Predictor of Response to Aphasia Treatment.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPeople with chronic aphasia improved on five of seven language measures after six weeks of computer-assisted repetition therapy. Those whose repetition varied more before therapy showed greater improvement.
• OTSLPCohort2017Assessing chronic stroke survivors with aphasia sheds light on prevalence of spatial neglect.Topics in stroke rehabilitationFunctional observation found mild neglect in five of 40 chronic left-brain stroke survivors with aphasia, but paper-and-pencil testing found none, and mobility or independence did not differ reliably.
• SLPOther2017Stress and depression scales in aphasia: relation between the aphasia depression rating scale, stroke aphasia depression questionnaire-10, and the perceived stress scale.Topics in stroke rehabilitationIn 25 adults with aphasia, two caregiver-reported depression scales were strongly related to each other and to participants' self-reported stress. The scales may help flag depressive symptoms, but this small study did not test diagnosis or treatment.
• SLPOther2017Mapping Common Aphasia Assessments to Underlying Cognitive Processes and Their Neural Substrates.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairCommon aphasia tests often measure several language and cognitive processes at once. In 38 people after left hemisphere stroke, naming tasks tracked word finding, but some WAB subtests relied on more than one process, so single scores need broader interpretation.
• SLPQualitative2017Identifying mechanisms of change in a conversation therapy for aphasia using behaviour change theory and qualitative methods.International journal of language & communication disordersConversation partners and people with aphasia described several ways conversation therapy may change behaviour. Awareness alone was not enough; partners also judged the impact of their behaviour, replaced barriers with facilitators, and shifted priorities from accuracy to communication.
• SLPSystematic Review2017Everyday conversation in dementia: a review of the literature to inform research and practice.International journal of language & communication disordersPeople with dementia can keep turn-taking, formulaic phrases and storytelling skills, but their conversation depends heavily on how partners scaffold it. Generic advice may miss individual needs, especially in rarer dementias.
• SLPOther2017The comprehension of sentences with unaccusative verbs in aphasia: a test of the intervener hypothesis.AphasiologyPeople with agrammatic Broca's aphasia understood simple sentences with unaccusative verbs well, but failed to understand the same verbs when they appeared inside subject relative clauses. This suggests that an intervening noun phrase blocks their ability to link the verb to its object.
• SLPOther2017Corpus-Based Transitivity Biases in Individuals with Aphasia.AphasiologyPeople with aphasia use verbs in the expected transitive or intransitive ways, like controls. They also produce more intransitively biased verbs overall and make more errors when a verb's usual structure conflicts with the sentence.
• SLPOther2017The Relationship Between Baseline Volume in Temporal Areas and Post-Treatment Naming Accuracy in Primary Progressive Aphasia.AphasiologyPre-treatment temporal lobe volume was not linked to naming accuracy after anomia treatment for trained words. Both phonological and orthographic treatment produced better naming for practiced words than unpracticed words, but this study does not support using scan volume alone to guide treatment choice.
• SLPOther2017Validating the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) for use with people with aphasia: an analysis of Differential Item Function (DIF).AphasiologyThe CPIB appears usable with people with aphasia without needing different scoring, but family proxy ratings do not match self-report. Clinicians may need to provide communication support.
• SLPOther2017Short-Term and Working Memory Treatments for Improving Sentence Comprehension in Aphasia: A Review and a Replication Study.Seminars in speech and languageIn five people with chronic aphasia, computerised short-term memory training showed no clear gain in sentence comprehension. Across reviewed studies, four of 11 people showed some gain, so evidence remains limited.
• SLPNarrative Review2017Short-Term Memory and Aphasia: From Theory to Treatment.Seminars in speech and languageVerbal short-term memory is commonly impaired in aphasia and may help characterize semantic versus phonological deficits. Treatment evidence is from case studies, so larger studies are needed.
• SLPOther2017Implicit learning and implicit treatment outcomes in individuals with aphasia.AphasiologyRepeated passive sentence exposure did not improve comprehension in people with agrammatic aphasia, even though many learned a hidden button-press pattern without being told it existed. This training alone did not help.
• SLPCase Report2017Effects of semantic context on access to words of low imageability in deep-phonological dysphasia: a treatment case study.AphasiologyThe cohesive phrase condition helped a person with aphasia repeat treated abstract word pairs, reaching the accuracy target after 10 probes. The non-cohesive phrase condition did not help. This was a single case.
• SLPCohort2017Long-term Recovery in Stroke Accompanied by Aphasia: A Reconsideration.AphasiologySixteen of 26 people with chronic aphasia improved significantly on language scores over years without formal therapy, seven stayed the same, and three declined.
• SLPCase-Control2017Slowed articulation rate is a sensitive diagnostic marker for identifying non-fluent primary progressive aphasia.AphasiologyThe rate measures did not clearly beat clinician fluency ratings in the main accuracy comparison, but slow articulation rate was the best marker and helped identify non-fluent PPA when false alarms were low.
• SLPCase Series2017Rapid recovery from aphasia after infarction of Wernicke's area.AphasiologyTwo people with aphasia after Wernicke's area strokes gained language ability quickly at first, then more slowly over 3 months. Speech rate and complexity rose, errors fell. By 3 months they still had conduction aphasia deficits.
• SLPCohort2017Connected speech in transient aphasias after left hemisphere resective surgery.AphasiologyWithin 2-3 days after left hemisphere resection, all 10 connected speech measures worsened in the 29 patients with aphasia; by 1 month most improved, but phonological errors and lexical access remained above pre-surgery levels.
• SLPOther2017The curious case of processing unaccusative verbs in aphasia.AphasiologyIn sentences where the verb has only one noun, people with Broca's aphasia showed delayed activation of that noun as age-matched controls did. The study measured reaction times to pictures, not final comprehension.
• SLPOther2018Prophylaxis and remediation of anomia in the semantic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia.Neuropsychological rehabilitationNaming practice using spoken repetition or written copying helped people with semantic or logopenic progressive aphasia keep or improve names for practiced words compared with untrained words. Results were strongest in semantic variant; logopenic variant effects were mixed.
• SLPSystematic Review2018The use of standardised short-term and working memory tests in aphasia research: a systematic review.Neuropsychological rehabilitationNo standardised short-term or working memory test is a gold standard for people with aphasia. Use more than one test, including non-verbal tasks, because many common tests give unstable scores.
• SLPCase Series2017Imitation-based aphasia therapy increases narrative content: a case series.Clinical rehabilitationIn 18 people with chronic aphasia, intensive imitation-based therapy was followed by more correct information units and a higher percent of words carrying correct information in an untrained Cinderella narrative. No control group means causation is not proven.
• SLPOther2018Validity, reliability and sensitivity of the NORLA-6: Naming and oral reading for language in aphasia 6-point scale.International journal of speech-language pathologyThe NORLA-6 scale accurately tracks oral reading and naming progress in people with nonfluent aphasia. Unlike standard tests that often score severely impaired patients as zero, it captures partial responses. This allows therapists to measure small gains and justify treatment without lengthy assessments.
• SLPCase-Control2018Measuring discourse coherence in anomic aphasia using Rhetorical Structure Theory.International journal of speech-language pathologyCantonese speakers with anomic aphasia told stories and described procedures that listeners rated less understandable and less clear. They used fewer meaningful units and made more word errors, so therapy may need word-level targets as well as discourse.
• SLPQualitative2017Aphasia and literacy-the insider's perspective.International journal of language & communication disordersPeople with aphasia described reading and writing as an ongoing recovery process. They practised literacy for communication, information and pleasure, and wanted therapy to be meaningful, individual and tied to everyday life.
• SLPOther2018An analysis of topics and vocabulary in Chinese oral narratives by normal speakers and speakers with fluent aphasia.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsCantonese speakers with fluent aphasia and matched controls used many of the same important-event topics. The aphasia group produced fewer different words, but their word classes and concrete/abstract balance looked similar. The finding points to broader vocabulary targets beyond nouns and verbs.
• SLPRCT2017Intensive Communicative Therapy Reduces Symptoms of Depression in Chronic Nonfluent Aphasia.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairLanguage scores improved only after intensive language-action therapy, not after intensive naming therapy. Depression scores also improved after language-action therapy, not naming therapy. The study analysed 17 patients with chronic nonfluent aphasia.
• SLPOther2018Fostering human rights through TalkBank.International journal of speech-language pathologyNo clinical finding is reported. This article describes TalkBank resources, not a study of whether they improve assessment or treatment.
• SLPPilot2018The feasibility of improving discourse in people with aphasia through AAC: Clinical and functional MRI correlates.AphasiologyThe main behavioral tests did not show clear group differences. Five of six people using AAC improved enough to be counted as responders, versus two of six in usual care. Story retell changes favored AAC.
• SLPNarrative Review2018Contemporary Approaches to the Management of Post-stroke Apraxia of Speech.Seminars in speech and languageObjective acoustic tests and brain imaging may help distinguish post-stroke apraxia of speech from aphasia or dysarthria, but evidence is early. Speech therapy should not rely on imaging alone; articulatory-kinematic treatment has support.
• SLPQualitative2018Speech and language therapists' perspectives of therapeutic alliance construction and maintenance in aphasia rehabilitation post-stroke.International journal of language & communication disordersTherapists described building a working relationship by getting to know the person, setting shared expectations, fostering goal ownership, and responding flexibly. Time, setting, family, and therapist biases shaped how these relationships developed.
• SLPOther2018Treatment Response to a Double Administration of Constraint-Induced Language Therapy in Chronic Aphasia.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRRepeating 30 hours of intensive language therapy added little to standardized scores, but participants with mild aphasia generalized gains to untrained words. Those with severe aphasia improved on naming tests without gaining new skills. Second rounds may not be worth the time.
• SLPCase Report2018The effects of enactment on communicative competence in aphasic casual conversation: a functional linguistic perspective.International journal of language & communication disordersIn one man with aphasia, turns containing enactment were far more likely to be assertive than his other turns. He used enacted speech to open new topics and hold the floor, rather than just agreeing with his wife.
• SLPCase Report2018Exploring the efficacy of melodic intonation therapy with Broca's aphasia in Arabic.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsOne Jordanian Arabic-speaking man with severe Broca's aphasia improved accuracy on treated automatic and self-generated phrases after intensive melodic intonation therapy. His family-rated communication and quality-of-life scores rose, but this is one person, not proof MIT works.
• SLPNarrative Review2018Assessment of Individuals with Primary Progressive Aphasia.Seminars in speech and languageFor SLPs, PPA assessment should target the specific variant, not just use stroke aphasia batteries or language-based cognitive screens. Detailed case history and PPA-specific tasks can help identify semantic, nonfluent/agrammatic, or logopenic profiles.
• SLPNarrative Review2018A Life Participation Approach to Primary Progressive Aphasia Intervention.Seminars in speech and languageNo original methods or results are reported. This narrative review gives expert guidance on person-centered life participation care for primary progressive aphasia.
• SLPCase Report2018The role of language proficiency and linguistic distance in cross-linguistic treatment effects in aphasia.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsFor a multilingual man with mild aphasia, Dutch therapy improved speech efficiency in Dutch and high-proficiency languages, with little gain in lower-proficiency languages and more word mixing in Spanish. This is a single case, not a pattern.
• SLPOther2018Vowel Formant Dispersion Reflects Severity of Apraxia of Speech.AphasiologyAfter stroke, greater variability in vowel sounds and voiced stop timing during picture description went with more severe apraxia of speech, but acoustic measures alone were not accurate enough for diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2018Patterns of Decline in Naming and Semantic Knowledge in Primary Progressive Aphasia.AphasiologyPeople with nonfluent/agrammatic PPA lost naming fastest overall, but those starting with high scores declined slower. Speech-language rehabilitation was associated with slower action-naming and semantic decline, not proof it works.
• SLPOther2019Comparing the effects of clinician and caregiver-administered lexical retrieval training for progressive anomia.Neuropsychological rehabilitationTwo people with progressive word-finding difficulty trained with a clinician then a caregiver showed similar gains in naming trained items. Neither group showed significant improvement on untrained words, and standard naming tests remained stable despite functional changes.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2019Benchmarks of Significant Change After Aphasia Rehabilitation.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAphasia therapy studies showed gains on the WAB-AQ, CETI and BNT, but gains did not differ by dose frequency or treatment type. Between-group naming gains were not clear.