TY - JOUR
T1 - A biological model of aphasia rehabilitation
T2 - Pharmacological perspectives
AU - Small, Steven L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Address correspondence to: Steven L. Small, Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC-2030, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Email: small@uchicago.edu This research was supported by the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, under grant NIH DC R01-3378. Their support is gratefully acknowledged.
PY - 2004/5
Y1 - 2004/5
N2 - Background: Aphasia is a multi-modality disturbance of speech, language, and memory caused by neurological injury, particularly stroke. Aims: This review article views aphasia as fundamentally a disease of the brain, and aims to survey biological treatments for aphasia that address amelioration of brain injury. Main Contribution: The review examines the effects of different drugs on both direct and indirect mechanisms of neural circuit reorganisation, gauged through effects on multi-modal measures of speech, language, and memory. Based on this review, therapists might choose to analyse and change the pharmacological state of their patients with aphasia. Conclusions: We conclude that (a) both biological and behavioural therapies affect brain repair and reorganisation; (b) pharmacotherapy is not yet proven, but has promise, but only when accompanied by concomitant behavioural therapy; (c) the most important biological interventions that can be accomplished at present are to withdraw certain drugs that impede aphasia recovery and to administer anti-depressants to all patients with major or minor poststroke depression.
AB - Background: Aphasia is a multi-modality disturbance of speech, language, and memory caused by neurological injury, particularly stroke. Aims: This review article views aphasia as fundamentally a disease of the brain, and aims to survey biological treatments for aphasia that address amelioration of brain injury. Main Contribution: The review examines the effects of different drugs on both direct and indirect mechanisms of neural circuit reorganisation, gauged through effects on multi-modal measures of speech, language, and memory. Based on this review, therapists might choose to analyse and change the pharmacological state of their patients with aphasia. Conclusions: We conclude that (a) both biological and behavioural therapies affect brain repair and reorganisation; (b) pharmacotherapy is not yet proven, but has promise, but only when accompanied by concomitant behavioural therapy; (c) the most important biological interventions that can be accomplished at present are to withdraw certain drugs that impede aphasia recovery and to administer anti-depressants to all patients with major or minor poststroke depression.
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U2 - 10.1080/02687030444000156
DO - 10.1080/02687030444000156
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:2542503687
VL - 18
SP - 473
EP - 492
JO - Aphasiology
JF - Aphasiology
SN - 0268-7038
IS - 5-7
ER -