BrainBlog

Intensity of Aphasia Therapy: Evidence and Efficacy. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep . 2011 Sep 30; Cherney LR, Patterson JP, Raymer AM Abstract Determining the optimal amount and intensity of treatment is essential to the design and implementation of any treatment program for aphasia. A growing body of evidence, both behavioral and biological, suggests that intensive therapy positively impacts outcomes. We update a systematic review of treatment studies that directly compares conditions of higher and lower intensity treatment for aphasia. We identify five studies published since 2006, review them for methodologic quality, and synthesize their findings with previous ones. For both acute and chronic aphasia, results at the language impairment and communication activity/participation levels tend to be more equivocal than previously demonstrated, with no clear differences between intensive and nonintensive treatment emerging across studies. Future research directions are discussed including rese...

Validation of the language component of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised (ACE-R) as a screening tool for aphasia in stroke patients. Australas J Ageing . 2011 Sep;30(3):156-8 Authors: Gaber TA, Parsons F, Gautam V Abstract Aim:  Several tests are available for aphasia screening following stroke. However, some of them have shortcomings such as need of specialist knowledge, low sensitivity and/or specificity and lengthy administration time. Our study aims to evaluate the language component of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised (ACE-R) as a screening tool for aphasia in stroke patients. Methods:  The language component of ACE-R was administered to consecutive patients admitted to a post-acute stroke unit. Patients who were medically unstable or had a significant history of sensory impairment or mental health issues were excluded. The test was administered by two junior doctors with basic training in ACE-R administration. Patients recruited were also...

Conference Website From the homepage: "Plan now to attend the ACRM-ASNR 2011 Annual Conference at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. This annual conference draws rehabilitation researchers and clinicians from 20+ countries with a welcoming ambiance suited to seasoned and early career professionals alike. Attendees enjoy exceptional continuing education programs with productive networking opportunities. "Choose from internationally recognized plenary speakers, and symposia covering methodology and technology; practice, policy and reimbursement; neuroscience and neurorehabilitation; and musculoskeletal, aging, and development. "In addition, there are six pre-conference symposia and an Early Career Course on Wednesday. Paper presentations and poster displays, and an exhibition featuring state-of-the-art equipment and services for the rehabilitation professional. As always, there is the opportunity to meet new friends and greet old ones."

van der Meulen I, van de Sandt-Koenderman WM, Duivenvoorden HJ, & Ribbers GM (2009). Measuring verbal and non-verbal communication in aphasia: Reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of the Scenario Test. International Joutnal of Language and Communication Disorders Background: This study explores the psychometric qualities of the Scenario Test, a new test to assess daily-life communication in severe aphasia. The test is innovative in that it: (1) examines the effectiveness of verbal and non-verbal communication; and (2) assesses patients' communication in an interactive setting, with a supportive communication partner. Aims: To determine the reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of the Scenario Test and discuss its clinical value. Methods & Procedures: The Scenario Test was administered to 122 persons with aphasia after stroke and to 25 non-aphasic controls. Analyses were performed for the entire group of persons with aphasia, as well as for a subgrou...

From today's Guardian : Major drug trial highlights a new approach in stroke prevention The success of Pradaxa in a 44-country trial indicates a possible end to the use of the rat poison warfarin as a primary treatment to prevent stroke Press Association guardian.co.uk Sunday 30 August 2009 23.27 BST Read the full article Boehringer Ingelheim's (BI) corporate website information about their clinical trial programmes: click here

Salter KL, Teasell RW, Foley NC, & Jutai JW. Outcome assessment in randomized controlled trials of stroke rehabilitation. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2007 Dec ;86(12): 1007-1012. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St. Joseph's Healthcare London, London, Canada. The lack of a unified approach to outcome assessment in stroke rehabilitation limits our ability to interpret evidence provided by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The purpose of this review was to identify outcomes and assessment tools reported in RCTs of stroke rehabilitation interventions as a first step toward consistent assessment of outcomes. Given that the validity of research is linked to reliability and validity of measurement, the relationship between the use of previously developed outcome measures and the methodological quality of RCTs was explored.Electronic literature searches identified RCTs examining stroke rehabilitation therapies from 1968 to 2005. Th...

Townend E, Brady M, McLaughlan K. A Systematic Evaluation of the Adaptation of Depression Diagnostic Methods for Stroke Survivors Who Have Aphasia. Stroke. 2007 Oct 11; [Epub ahead of print] From the NMAHP Research Unit, Buchannan House, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK; and the NHS Grampian, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Spynie Hospital, Morayshire, UK. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: One in 3 stroke survivors has aphasia (impaired language comprehension and expressive abilities). Conventionally, depression diagnosis uses language-based methods. We aimed to systematically review methods that have been used to diagnose depression and adaptations to these methods intended for people with aphasia. METHODS: We systematically reviewed stroke studies (to January 2006) that included a depression diagnosis and individuals with aphasia. We extracted data related to depression diagnostic methods used for individuals with/without aphasia. We sought clarification from authors when require...

"Neeka's Backlog" is a blog written in Kiev by Veronica Khokhlova. Unfortunately, her topic over the past week or so has been the search for her father who had sustained a series of strokes and who wandered away from a family that was trying its best and, several days later, from a hospital that should have done better. The blog was a definitive voice during the Orange Revolution and becomes equally compelling in these entries. The narrative of these days is the clearest that I've ever read and should be read by any professional caring for individuals with dementia or related CNS disorders.

From today's New York Times : In Latest Robotics, New Hope for Stroke Patients By AMANDA SCHAFFER The New York Times Published: July 10, 2007 Mary O’Regan more or less ignored her left arm for 20 years. As a sophomore in college, in 1986, she fell off the back of a friend’s dirt bike and hit her head on concrete, later suffering a stroke. After intensive medical and physical therapy, she learned to speak and walk again. She went back to school and then to work. (And, as it happened, two of her brothers ended up marrying two of the nurses who had taken care of her.) Still, much of her left side remained numb, and she did not regain use of her left arm. Last year, however, Ms. O’Regan, now 40 and living in Westwood, Mass., enrolled in a clinical trial for a new robotic device called the Myomo e100, designed to help stroke patients regain motion in their arms. The device, worn as an arm brace, works by sensing weak electrical activity in patients’ arm muscles and providing just enough...

From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation : Neurological conditions cost Canada nearly $9B a year: report Last Updated: Friday, June 22, 2007 | 5:02 PM ET CBC News Neurological conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease cost Canada nearly $9 billion a year in direct costs, say neurologists who warn the health-care system may not be able to handle increased costs of an aging population. Early diagnosis of neurological diseases will help reduce long-term costs, says Dr. Charles Tator. Friday's report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, titled The Burden of Neurological Diseases, Disorders and Injuries in Canada is a consensus report by neurologists who tallied the costs of 11 conditions they treat: Alzheimer's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) Brain tumours Cerebral palsy Epilepsy Head injury Headaches Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease Spinal injuries Stroke The conditions represent an estimated almost seven per...