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 5 OF 7 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPOther2024Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Graph Naming Function and Brain Connectivity in Postinfarction Aphasia Patients: An fMRI Study.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Graph naming scores improved after 12 days of tDCS added to standard stroke treatment. No sham control, so improvement could reflect usual care or recovery. Brain scan changes were reported but cannot prove treatment effect.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Clinical outcomes associated with speech, language and swallowing difficulties post-stroke.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsDysphagia after stroke was linked to greater disability, and swallowing difficulty with aspiration was linked to poorer oral intake in 68 South African adults. Links with referral timing and aspiration pneumonia risk factors were not clear.
• SLPOther2024Predicting Language Function Post-Stroke: A Model-Based Structural Connectivity Approach.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAfter stroke, models using routine brain scans, non-verbal cognition, initial language score and language-network connectivity predicted naming and comprehension; stimulation type did not predict language outcomes.
• SLPOther2024Structural priming from production to comprehension in aphasia.AphasiologyAfter producing the primed meaning, people with aphasia and controls chose more pictures matching that meaning for ambiguous sentences, and the shift remained in an unprimed post-test.
• SLPCohort2024Baseline Conceptual-Semantic Impairment Predicts Longitudinal Treatment Effects for Anomia in Primary Progressive Aphasia and Alzheimer's Disease.AphasiologyBaseline conceptual-semantic impairment, not diagnosis, predicts anomia treatment success. Patients with broad conceptual deficits benefited more from lexical treatment, while those with intact conceptual processing benefited more from semantic treatment. This pattern emerged over time, suggesting treatment selection should rely on specific cognitive profiles rather than PPA subtype.
• SLPCase Series2024Noun and Verb Impairment in Single-Word Naming and Discourse Production in Mandarin-English Bilingual Adults with Aphasia.AphasiologyMandarin-English bilingual adults with aphasia named nouns more accurately than verbs in both languages. In connected speech, they used more nouns than verbs overall, with the difference stronger in English. Naming scores related to discourse word choice.
• SLPOther2024Evaluating Fluency in Aphasia: Fluency Scales, Trichotomous Judgements, or Machine Learning.AphasiologyExperienced speech-language pathologists judged fluent, non-fluent, or mixed aphasia speech very consistently when they used overall impressions. The WAB-R fluency scale was less consistent, and machine learning did not reliably match non-fluent judgements.
• SLPOther2024Priming Sentence Production in Older Adults: Evidence for Preserved Implicit Learning.AphasiologyOlder adults produced passive and double-object sentences more often after hearing them, even after intervening trials. Their sentence priming was as strong as or stronger than young adults, so it may remain usable in later life.
• SLPOther2024Evaluating circumlocution in naming as a predictor of communicative informativeness and efficiency in discourse.AphasiologyFor 43 people with aphasia, naming accuracy predicted how informative and efficient picture descriptions were. Counting circumlocution added 1.5% to the informativeness estimate and 8.3% to the efficiency estimate.
• SLPCohort2024Mary has a little chair: Eliciting noun-modifier phrases in individuals with acute post-stroke aphasia.AphasiologyThe MorGen test detects subtle language deficits in acute stroke patients who score normally on standard assessments. These patients specifically struggle with adjectives, such as size and color, which are not directly tested by the Western Aphasia Battery. This suggests adjectives should be assessed even when traditional tests show no impairment.
• SLPCohort2024Assessment of verb and sentence processing deficits in stroke-induced aphasia: the Italian version of the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS-I).AphasiologyThe Italian NAVS-I accurately detects verb and sentence deficits in aphasia. The Verb Naming Test is the only subtest that distinguishes agrammatic from fluent aphasia, with agrammatic speakers struggling more with complex verbs. Non-canonical sentences were difficult for all groups.
• SLPQualitative2024Muddles and puzzles: Metaphor use associated with disease progression in Primary Progressive Aphasia.AphasiologyPeople with Primary Progressive Aphasia and their families use specific metaphors that shift with disease progression and variant. For example, logopenic variant speakers moved from describing 'jumbles' to 'ghosts' as the condition advanced. Therapists should listen for these terms to gauge severity.
• SLPOther2024Differences in Connected Speech Outcomes Across Elicitation Methods.AphasiologyFor adults with acute left hemisphere stroke, storytelling elicited longer, more complex and more grammatical connected speech than picture description. It also identified more people with word and sentence-structure problems.
• SLPCase Series2024Recursive Self-feedback Improved Speech Fluency in Two Patients with Chronic Nonfluent Aphasia.AphasiologyTwo patients with chronic nonfluent aphasia improved speaking rate and reduced initiation delay after self-directed script practice. A recursive self-feedback method worked as well as standard control training, but neither was superior. This pilot does not prove one approach is better.
• SLPCohort2024Shave, shear, shred, or cut: PPA variant differentially impacts erroneous responses produced in a confrontation naming test of verbs.AphasiologyWhen people with primary progressive aphasia name actions incorrectly, the wrong words differ by variant. Logopenic errors were more general, with many meanings; nonfluent errors were more concrete. This may inform diagnosis, not treatment.
• SLPCohort2024An electrophysiological and behavioral investigation of feedback-based learning in aphasia.AphasiologyPeople with aphasia learned new words from feedback, but the brain signal for error detection did not predict this learning. Instead, attention and updating skills predicted retention. Feedback is helpful, but cognitive demands may hinder its use.
• SLPCase Series2024Revealing Linguistic and Verbal Short-Term and Working Memory Abilities in People with Severe Aphasia.AphasiologyPeople with severe aphasia who could not speak showed hidden strengths in word meaning and memory when tested by pointing. Standard verbal tests missed these abilities. This suggests using nonverbal assessments to find preserved skills rather than assuming a lack of potential.
• SLPQualitative2024Dr. Audrey Holland's Crazy Patchwork Quilt: A Thematic Analysis.Seminars in speech and languageAudrey Holland’s published voice prioritizes listening, strengths-based assessment, and personalized care over standardized testing. She warned that generic therapy fails to address real-world communication needs and urged clinicians to treat counseling as a core skill rather than an optional add-on.
• SLPOther2024Gesture profiles distinguish primary progressive aphasia variants: A preliminary study.AphasiologyIn 19 people with primary progressive aphasia, those with the semantic variant had worse imitation of meaningful hand postures than of arm movements, unlike the other variants. This may help clinicians suspect semantic variant, not confirm it.
• SLPNarrative Review2025A targeted review of prosodic production in agrammatic aphasia.Neuropsychological rehabilitationPeople with agrammatic aphasia show disrupted speech timing, with longer and more frequent pauses and less predictable lengthening at phrase ends. Pitch variation often remains usable and can signal turn taking and meaning.
• SLPCase-Control2024Defining the Characteristics of Story Production of Autistic Children: A Multilevel Analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children told picture stories with more sound and word errors, fewer picture events and events not shown, and less connected overall than matched peers, even though groups scored similarly on memory, attention and theory-of-mind tasks.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Risk-taking behaviour and executive functions, a major component of the risk of fall factors after recent stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePost-stroke patients with anosognosia, impulsivity, inattention, or perseveration had significantly higher odds of falling in rehab, even after adjusting for physical severity. Language disorders were not associated with falls. These cognitive signs should guide decisions on supervised walking.
• SLPRCT2025Rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia by a single protocol targeting phonological, lexical, and semantic deficits with speech output tasks: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2 weeks of PHOLEXSEM improved repetition, naming, fluency and sentence comprehension in people with post-stroke aphasia. PACE improved only noun fluency and word span. The paper did not compare change between groups.
• SLPOther2025More than one way to improve a CAT: Outcomes and reflections on two iterations of the Queen Square Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programme.AphasiologyPeople with chronic aphasia in intensive Queen Square programmes had better language, communication confidence and quality of life at follow-up. The study had no control group, so these changes cannot be proven to be caused by the programme.
• SLPQualitative2025Priorities for post-stroke aphasia service development: Prioritisation phase of an experience-based co-design study.Clinical rehabilitationPeople with aphasia and clinicians prioritised a hospital chart alert system to flag aphasia and guide staff communication. They also sought accessible mental health services and consistent care providers to reduce safety risks and emotional distress during inpatient stays.
• SLPOther2025Who am I now? A scoping review on identity changes in post-stroke aphasia.Disability and rehabilitationIdentity in post-stroke aphasia was described as changing through stories, roles, stigma and social interaction in 20 reports. Speech-language pathologists can support story sharing and ask about identity.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2024Usefulness of automated tractography for outcome prediction in patients with recurrent stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn three patients with recurrent stroke, automated brain scans identified specific nerve tract damage that matched their long-term recovery levels. Patients with widespread tract damage had poor outcomes, while those with limited damage regained independence, suggesting scans may help predict rehabilitation potential.
• SLPOther2025Within- and Cross-Language Generalization in Narrative Production of Bilingual Persons with Aphasia following Semantic Feature Analysis Therapy.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Semantic Feature Analysis improved speech rate and verbal efficiency in Russian narratives but not Hebrew. Cross-language gains appeared in untreated Russian after Hebrew therapy, yet no link was found between naming improvements and narrative changes. High variability limits clear conclusions.
• SLPSurvey2025Assessment and treatment of gesture in neurogenic communication disorders: An international survey of practice.International journal of language & communication disordersMost speech therapists assessed gesture sometimes, but only 5% never did and nearly 70% never used a published test. Only 26.9% used gesture in treatment for at least half the time, and lack of tools was a common barrier.
• SLPCohort2025The impact of pre-stroke formal education on language test performance in aphasic and non-aphasic stroke survivors.AphasiologyMore pre-stroke education was linked to slightly higher Comprehensive Aphasia Test scores in stroke survivors with and without aphasia. It did not predict better language recovery. Borderline scores should be interpreted in light of education.
• SLPCase Series2025Evaluating the effect of a non-linguistic cognitive intervention on functional communication in global aphasia: A case series study.International journal of language & communication disordersSix adults with global aphasia completed a non-linguistic cognitive programme. Five showed clinically significant gains in functional communication, particularly for basic needs, with improvements maintained three months later. The intervention was delivered at a clinically feasible dose of three sessions weekly.
• SLPCase Series2025Translanguaging in conversations for people with aphasia living in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsEliciting conversation without restricting language was possible with seven people with aphasia in Johannesburg, and participants mostly used isiZulu and English. It is an assessment approach, not proof of better diagnosis or therapy.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Communication partner training for aged-care workers: A scoping review.International journal of language & communication disordersMost communication training for aged-care staff targets one condition like dementia or aphasia. Few programs address cultural, linguistic, or age-related communication differences. Training is usually delivered in person by clinicians, which limits scalability. Outcomes focus on staff knowledge rather than patient benefit.
• SLPQualitative2025Experiences and perspectives of UK speech and language therapists on telehealth assessment with people living with post-stroke aphasia.International journal of language & communication disordersTherapists said online assessment worked best when they prepared the person and family, chose tasks that fit attention and communication needs, and kept face-to-face options. They worried severe aphasia, poor internet, and missed cues could make assessment less reliable.
• SLPQualitative2025Aphasia partnership training: What outcomes do people with aphasia, family members and speech and language therapists expect?International journal of language & communication disordersPeople with aphasia and families prioritise better conversation and less frustration over improved speech or doing more activities. Therapists should focus goals on communication strategies and emotional well-being, noting that families value relationship changes more than patients do.
• SLPOther2025Living Successfully With Chronic Aphasia: Outcomes and Program Improvement After 5 Years of Operations.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTen people with aphasia who attended a community program for five years reported higher quality-of-life scores than at baseline. The biggest gains happened in the first year, and those improvements held steady over the remaining four years rather than continuing to climb.
• SLPCohort2025Comparing factors influencing wellbeing in young adults with aphasia and young adults with developmental language disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersYoung adults with aphasia or developmental language disorder reported wellbeing similar to their typical peers. For those with aphasia, wellbeing linked to emotional distress and health. For those with developmental language disorder, it also linked to language skills and self-esteem.
• SLPQualitative2025The core components of clinical planning for Comprehensive, High-dose Aphasia Treatment (CHAT): A task analysis.International journal of language & communication disordersSpeech pathologists described clinical planning for high-dose aphasia therapy as a continuous, collaborative process rather than a one-off session. They relied on researchers and experienced clinicians to translate evidence into personalized treatment plans, with goal-setting requiring dedicated time and iterative review throughout the therapy block.
• SLPCase Report2025Harnessing AI for aphasia: a case report on ChatGPT's role in supporting written expression.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA 75-year-old man with chronic aphasia used ChatGPT to help write his autobiography. With the AI tool, he produced more sentences with fewer errors, though he still needed significant clinician guidance to use it effectively. He reported increased confidence and enjoyment.
• SLPCohort2025Discourse Measures From the Modern Cookie Theft Picture Description Are Sensitive to Mild Communication Deficits Not Captured by the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient.American journal of speech-language pathologyDiscourse analysis of the Modern Cookie Theft picture detected language deficits in stroke survivors who scored above the Western Aphasia Battery cutoff. These patients produced less accurate content than healthy controls, revealing mild deficits that standard tests missed.
• SLPOther2025Reliability of the Brief Assessment of Transactional Success in Communication in Aphasia.AphasiologyThe BATS story-retell tool showed high agreement between automated and edited transcripts, acceptable agreement between human main-concept scorers, and acceptable stability over 7±3 days. It does not yet prove treatment change.
• SLPQualitative2025Creating opportunities to communicate and connect in a global pandemic: Exploring the experiences of people with aphasia of an online conversation partner scheme.International journal of language & communication disordersPeople with aphasia found online conversation partner schemes useful and convenient, allowing them to practice communication and help students. However, they missed the physical presence of others and felt restricted in expressing their full personalities. A hybrid model offering both online and in-person options was preferred.
• SLPQualitative2025Adapting in interaction involving Mandarin speakers with aphasia: A conversation analysis of turn initial responses to healthcare professionals' questions.International journal of language & communication disordersMandarin speakers with non-fluent aphasia used iconic gestures to start answers, while those with fluent aphasia repeated words from the question. These strategies helped them begin responding quickly despite word-finding difficulties, rather than remaining silent.
• SLPOther2025Development and Real-Time Clinical Application of New Transcription-Less Discourse Assessment Approaches for Arabic Speakers With Aphasia.International journal of language & communication disordersA content-word checklist scored during sessions agreed with transcript scores, and content-word and main-concept scores separated people with aphasia from controls. This can make Arabic aphasia assessment quicker.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Assessing Functional Communication in Persons With Aphasia: A Scoping Review of Formal and Informal Measures.International journal of language & communication disordersNo standardized aphasia assessment fully captures real-world communication. Formal tools miss multimodal or interactive elements. Informal tools vary widely in definition. Clinicians must combine tests to see the whole picture of patient function.
• SLPPilot2025Treatment Fidelity in a Feasibility Trial of the Aphasia Intervention, Virtual Elaborated Semantic Feature Analysis.International journal of language & communication disordersThe virtual aphasia intervention was delivered with 81% adherence to the protocol. Rationale for activities and specific feedback were the least consistent components. Challenge tasks helped participants use practiced words in real life, with 14 of 15 reporting success.
• SLPOther2025Establishing Norm of Connected Speech Measures for Descriptive Discourses in Cantonese-Speaking Adults.International journal of language & communication disordersCantonese adults show varied speech patterns by age and education, not a simple decline. Older adults struggled most with sequential picture tasks, while middle-aged adults peaked in procedural descriptions. High-education speakers produced more content but appeared less lexically diverse due to longer samples.
• SLPOther2025ABCD: A Simulation Method for Accelerating Conversational Agents With Applications in Aphasia Therapy.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRIn simulated aphasia therapy sessions, an AI agent using simple zero-shot prompts with topics achieved slightly better conversation flow than one using complex step-by-step prompts with pictures. The agent remained grammatically accurate and on-topic regardless of the type of speech errors it encountered.
• SLPOther2025A Practical Guide to Translating Scientific Publications Into Aphasia-Friendly Summaries.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsNo finding to act on. This is a tutorial for creating aphasia-friendly research summaries, with formatting steps and a prototype tool.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025The proportion and clinical characteristics of patients with stroke who returned to work six months after discharge from a convalescent rehabilitation ward: a descriptive study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTwo-thirds of working-age stroke patients returned to work six months after discharge. Those who did not return had higher rates of aphasia and lower cognitive scores, even when motor function and daily living skills were similar to those who returned.