Abstract
This review considers the role of drug therapy in the treatment of post-stroke aphasia, the evidence for efficacy of different agents, and the theory-based explanations of drug-related benefits for aphasia rehabilitation. Pharmacological interventions modulating stroke-induced disruption of diverse neurotransmitters may improve language and communication deficits in aphasic patients through facilitation of brain plasticity and long-term potentiation. However, benefits are not evident for all compounds and refinement in clinical trial designs is required. Some pharmacological trials have failed because drug treatment was not combined with speech-language therapy, while other trials combining drugs with intensive model-driven therapies also failed probably because of short-trial duration, inadequate sample selection, or lack of drug action. Preliminary data reveals that combining neuroscience-based intensive aphasia techniques (constraint-induced aphasia therapy) and drugs acting on cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems are associated with better outcomes than other strategies and long-term maintenance of benefits. Although further studies are needed, current state of the evidence suggests that drug therapy may play a key role in the treatment of post-stroke aphasia.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- CAL:
-
Communicative Activity Log
- CIAT:
-
Constraint-induced aphasia therapy
- CILT:
-
Constraint-induced language therapy
- CPAP:
-
Continuous positive airway pressure
- fMRI:
-
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
- NMDA:
-
N-methyl-D-aspartate
- PSA:
-
Post-stroke aphasia
- WAB:
-
Western Aphasia Battery
- WAB-AQ:
-
Western Aphasia Battery-Aphasia Quotient
- RTC:
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
References
Aarsland, D., Larsen, J. P., Reinvang, I., & Aasland, A. M. (1994). Effects of cholinergic blockade on language in healthy young women. Implications for the cholinergic hypothesis in dementia of the Alzheimer type. Brain, 117, 1377–1384.
Albert, M. L., Bachman, D., Morgan, A., & Helm-Estabrooks, N. (1988). Pharmacotherapy of aphasia. Neurology, 38, 877–879.
Alexander, M. P. (2006). Impairments of procedures for implementing complex language are due to disruption of frontal attention processes. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 12, 236–247.
Altieri, M., Di Piero, V., & Lenzi, G. L. (2002). Drugs and recovery: A challenge for a few? Stroke, 33, 1170. letter.
Arciniegas, D. B., Frey, K. L., Anderson, C. A., Brousseau, K. M., & Harris, S. N. (2004). Amantadine for neurobehavioural deficits following delayed post-hypoxic encephalopathy. Brain Injury, 18, 1309–1318.
Ashtary, F., Janghorbani, M., Chitsaz, A., Reisi, M., & Bahrami, A. (2006). A randomized, double blind trial of bromocriptine efficacy in nonfluent aphasia after stroke. Neurology, 66, 914–916.
Auchus, A. P., Brashear, H. R., Salloway, S., Korczyn, A. D., De Deyn, P. P., Gassmann-Mayer, C., et al. (2007). Galantamine treatment of vascular dementia: A randomized trial. Neurology, 69, 448–458.
Baker, J. M., Rorden, C., & Fridriksson, J. (2010). Using transcranial direct-current stimulation to treat stroke patients with aphasia. Stroke, 41, 1129–1236.
Barker-Collo, S., & Feigin, V. (2006). The impact of neuropsychological deficits on functional stroke outcomes. Neuropsychology Review, 16, 53–64.
Barrett, A. M., & Eslinger, P. J. (2007). Amantadine for adynamic speech: Possible benefit for aphasia? American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86, 605–612.
Barrett, A. M., Levy, C. E., & Gonzalez Rothi, L. J. (2007). Pharmaceuticals for poststroke and brain injury rehabilitation. Americal Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86, 603–604.
Basso, A. (2003). Aphasia and its therapy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Basso, A., & Caporali, A. (2001). Aphasia therapy or the importance of being earnest. Aphasiology, 15, 307–332.
Basso, A., & Macis, M. (2011). Therapy efficacy in chronic aphasia. Behavioural Neurology (in press).
Basso, A., Bracchi, M., Capitani, E., Laiacona, M., & Zanobio, M. E. (1987). Age and evolution of language area functions. A study on adult stroke patients. Cortex, 23, 475–483.
Bersano, A., Burgio, F., Gattinoni, M., Candelisem, L., & PROSIT Study Group. (2009). Aphasia burden to hospitalised acute stroke patients: Need for an early rehabilitation programme. International Journal of Stroke, 4, 443–447.
Berthier, M. L. (1999). Transcortical Aphasias. Hove: Psychology.
Berthier, M. L. (2005). Poststroke aphasia: Epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment. Drugs & Aging, 22, 163–182.
Berthier, M. L., & Pulvermüller, F. (2011). Neuroscience insights improve neurorehabilitation of poststroke aphasia. Nature Reviews. Neurology, 7, 86–97.
Berthier, M. L., Hinojosa, J., Martín, M. C., & Fernandez, I. (2003). Open-label study of donepezil in chronic poststroke aphasia. Neurology, 60, 1218–1219.
Berthier, M. L., Moreno-Torres, I., & Hinojosa, J. (2004). Beneficial effects of donepezil and modalityspecific language therapy on chronic conduction aphasia. Neurology, 62(Suppl. 5), A462. abstract.
Berthier, M. L., Green, C., Higueras, C., Fernandez, I., Hinojosa, J., & Martín, M. C. (2006). A randomized, placebo-controlled study of donepezil in poststroke aphasia. Neurology, 67, 1687–1689.
Berthier, M. L., Green, C., Lara, J. P., Higueras, C., Barbancho, M. A., Dávila, G., et al. (2009). Memantine and constraint-induced aphasia therapy in chronic poststroke aphasia. Annals of Neurology, 65, 577–585.
Beversdorf, D. Q., Sharma, U. K., Phillips, N. N., Notestine, M. A., Slivka, A. P., Friedman, N. M., et al. (2007). Effect of propranolol on naming in chronic Broca’s aphasia with anomia. Neurocase, 13, 256–259.
Bhogal, S. K., Teasell, R., & Speechley, M. (2003). Intensity of aphasia therapy, impact on recovery. Stroke, 34, 987–993.
Bragoni, M., Altieri, M., Di Piero, V., Padovani, A., Mostardini, C., & Lenzi, G. L. (2000). Bromocriptine and speech therapy in non-fluent chronic aphasia after stroke. Neurological Science, 21, 19–22.
Breier, J. I., Maher, L. M., Schmadeke, S., Hasan, K. M., & Papanicolaou, A. C. (2007). Changes in language-specific brain activation after therapy for aphasia using magnetoencephalography: A case study. Neurocase, 13, 169–177.
Breier, J. I., Juranek, J., Maher, L. M., Schmadeke, S., Men, D., & Papanicolaou, A. C. (2009). Behavioral and neurophysiologic response to therapy for chronic aphasia. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 90, 2026–2033.
Cabeza, R. (2002). Hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults: The HAROLD model. Psychology and Aging, 17, 85–100.
Cappa, S. F., Benke, T., Clarke, S., Rossi, B., Stemmer, B., & van Heuten, C. M. (2003). EFNS guidelines on cognitive rehabilitation: Report of an EFNS Task Force. European Journal of Neurology, 10, 11–23.
Carter, A. R., Connor, L. T., & Dromerick, A. W. (2010). Rehabilitation after stroke: Current state of science. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 10, 158–166.
Chen, Y., Li, Y. S., Wang, Z. Y., Xu, Q., & Shi, G. W. (2010). The efficacy of donepezil for post-stroke aphasia: A pilot case control study. Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi, 49, 115–118.
Cherney, L. R., & Small, S. L. (2006). Task-dependent changes in brain activation following therapy for nonfluent aphasia: Discussion of two individual cases. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 6, 828–842.
Cherney, L. R., Patterson, J. P., Raymer, A., Frymark, T., & Schooling, T. (2008). Evidence-based systematic review: Effects of intensity of treatment and constraint-induced language therapy for individuals with stroke-induced aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 51, 1282–1299.
Cherney, L. R., Erickson, R. K., & Small, S. L. (2010). Epidural cortical stimulation as adjunctive treatment for non-fluent aphasia: Preliminary findings. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 81, 1014–1021.
Chuah, Y. M. L., & Chee, M. W. L. (2008). Cholinergic augmentation modulates visual task performance in sleep-deprived young adults. Journal of Neuroscience, 28, 11369–11377.
Cicerone, K. D., Langenbahn, D. M., Braden, C., Malec, J. F., Kalmar, K., Fraas, M., et al. (2011). Evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation: updated review of the literature from 2003 through 2008. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 92, 519–530.
Code, C. (2001). Multifactorial processes in recovery from aphasia: Developing the foundations for a multileveled framework. Brain and Language, 77, 25–44.
Code, C., Torney, A., Gildea-Howardine, E., & Willmes, K. (2010). Outcome of a 1-month therapy intensive for chronic aphasia: Variable individual responses. Seminars in Speech and Language, 31, 21–33.
Coelho, F., & Birks, J. (2001). Physostigmine for Alzheimer’s disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2, CD001499.
Cohen, L., Chaaban, B., & Habert, M.-O. (2004). Transient improvement of aphasia with zolpidem. The New England Journal of Medicine, 350, 949–950.
Corbett, F., Jefferies, E., & Lambon Ralph, M. A. (2008). The use of cueing to alleviate recurrent verbal perseverations: Evidence from transcortical sensory aphasia. Aphasiology, 22, 363–382.
Cramer, S. C. (2008). Repairing the human brain after stroke. II. Restorative therapies. Annals of Neurology, 63, 549–560.
Cramer, S. C., & Riley, J. D. (2008). Neuroplasticity and brain repair after stroke. Current Opinion in Neurology, 21, 76–82.
Crinion, J. T., & Leff, A. P. (2007). Recovery and treatment of aphasia after stroke: Functional imaging studies. Current Opinion in Neurology, 20, 667–673.
Crosson, B., Moore, A. B., Gopinath, K., White, K. D., Wierenga, C. E., Gaiefsky, M. E., et al. (2005). Role of the right and left hemispheres in recovery of function during treatment of intention in aphasia. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17, 392–406.
Dale, A. M., Fischl, B., & Sereno, M. I. (1999). Cortical surface-based analysis. I. Segmentation and surface reconstruction. NeuroImage, 9, 179–194.
de Boissezon, X., Peran, P., de Boysson, C., & Démonet, J. F. (2007). Pharmacotherapy of aphasia: Myth or reality? Brain and Language, 102, 114–125.
de Riesthal, M., & Wertz, R. T. (2004). Prognosis for aphasia: Relaitonship between selected biographical and behavioural variables and outcome improvement. Aphasiology, 18, 899–915.
Dickey, L., Kagan, A., Lindsay, M. P., Fang, J., Rowland, A., & Black, S. (2010). Incidence and profile of inpatient stroke-induced aphasia in Ontario, Canada. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 91, 196–202.
Dobkin, B. H. (2004). Strategies for stroke rehabilitation. Lancet Neurology, 3, 528–536.
Elman, R. J., Ogar, J., & Elman, S. H. (2000). Aphasia: Awareness, advocacy, and activism. Aphasiology, 14, 455–459.
Endres, M., Engelhardt, B., Koistinaho, J., Lindvall, O., Meairs, S., Mohr, J. P., et al. (2008). Improving outcome after stroke: Overcoming the translational roadblock. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 25, 268–278.
Engelter, S. T., Gostynski, M., Papa, S., Frei, M., Born, C., Ajdacic-Gross, V., et al. (2006). Epidemiology of aphasia attributable to first ischemic stroke: Incidence, severity, fluency, etiology, and thrombolysis. Stroke, 37, 1379–1384.
Eslinger, P. J., & Damasio, A. R. (1981). Age and type of aphasia in patients with stroke. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 44, 377–381.
Ferris, S., Ihl, R., Robert, P., Winblad, B., Gatz, G., Tennigkeit, F., et al. (2009). Treatment effects of memantine on language in moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease patients. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 5, 369–374.
Fischl, B., Sereno, M. I., & Dale, A. M. (1999). Cortical surface-based analysis. II: Inflation, flattening, and a surface-based coordinate system. NeuroImage, 9, 195–207.
Fischl, B., Liu, A., & Dale, A. M. (2001). Automated manifold surgery: Constructing geometrically accurate and topologically correct models of the human cerebral cortex. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 20, 70–80.
FitzGerald, D. B., Crucian, G. P., Mielke, J. B., Shenal, B. V., Burks, D., Womack, K. B., et al. (2008). Effects of donepezil on verbal memory after semantic processing in healthy older adults. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, 21, 57–64.
Floel, A., & Cohen, L. G. (2010). Recovery of function in humans: Cortical stimulation and pharmacological treatments after stroke. Neurobiology of Disease, 37, 243–251.
Fridriksson, J., Moser, D., Bonilha, L., Morrow-Odom, K. L., Shaw, H., Fridriksson, A., et al. (2007). Neural correlates of phonological and semantic-based anomia treatment in aphasia. Neuropsychologia, 45, 1812–1822.
Fucetola, R., Connor, L. T., Perry, J., Leo, P., Tucker, F. M., & Corbetta, M. (2005a). Aphasia severity, semantics, and depression predict functional communication in acquired aphasia. Aphasiology, 20, 449–461.
Fucetola, R., Tucker, F., Blank, K., & Corbetta, M. (2005b). A process for translating evidence-based aphasia treatment into clinical practice. Aphasiology, 19, 411–422.
Galletta, E. E., Rao, P. R., & Barrett, A. M. (2011). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): Potential progress for language improvement in aphasia. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 18, 87–91.
Goldstein, L. B. (2009). Amphetamine trials and tribulations. Stroke, 40(3 Suppl), S133–S135.
Gonzalez Rothi, L. J., & Barrett, A. M. (2006). The changing view of neurorehabilitation: A new era of optimism. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 12, 812–815.
Gotts, S. J., della Rocchetta, A. I., & Cipolotti, L. (2002). Mechanisms underlying perseveration in aphasia: Evidence from a single case study. Neuropsychologia, 40, 1930–1947.
Greenwood, P. M. (2007). Functional plasticity in cognitive aging: Review and hypothesis. Neuropsychology, 21, 657–673.
Grenner, J., Enderby, P., & Whurr, R. (2001). Pharmacological treatment for aphasia following stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD000424. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000424.
Grön, G., Kirstein, M., Thielscher, A., Riepe, M. W., & Spitzer, M. (2005). Cholinergic enhancement of episodic memory in healthy young adults. Psychopharmacology, 182, 170–179.
Güngör, L., Terzi, M., & Onar, M. K. (2011). Does long term use of piracetam improve speech disturbances due to ischemic cerebrovascular diseases? Brain and Language Jan 10. [Epub ahead of print].
Gupta, S. R., & Mlcoch, A. G. (1992). Bromocriptine treatment of nonfluent aphasia. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 73, 373–376.
Gupta, S. R., Mlcoch, A. G., Scolaro, C., & Moritz, T. (1995). Bromocriptine treatment of nonfluent aphasia. Neurology, 45, 2170–2173.
Heiss, W. D., & Thiel, A. (2006). A proposed regional hierarchy in recovery of post-stroke aphasia. Brain and Language, 98, 118–123.
Hillis, A. E. (2007). Pharmacological, surgical, and neurovascular interventions to augment acute aphasia recovery. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 86, 426–434.
Holland, A. L., Greenhouse, J. B., Fromm, D., & Swindell, C. S. (1989). Predictors of language restitution following stroke: A multivariate analysis. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 32, 232–238.
Huber, W. (1999). The role of piracetam in the treatment of acute and chronic aphasia. Pharmacopsychiatry, 32(Suppl 1), 38–43.
Hughes, J. D., Jacobs, D. H., & Heilman, K. M. (2000). Neuropharmacology and linguistic neuroplasticity. Brain and Language, 71, 96–101.
Hutchison, C. W., Nathan, P. J., Mrazek, L., & Stough, C. (2001). Cholinergic modulation of speed of early information processing: The effect of donepezil on inspection time. Psychopharmacology, 155, 440–442.
Jacobs, D. H., Shuren, J., Gold, M., Adair, J. C., Bowers, D., Williamson, D. J. G., et al. (1996). Physostigmine pharmacotherapy for anomia. Neurocase, 2, 83–91.
Jenkinson, M., Bannister, P., Brady, M., & Smith, S. (2002). Improved optimisation for the robust and accurate linear registration and motion correction of brain images. NeuroImage, 17, 825–841.
Jianu, D. C., Muresanu, D. F., Bajenaru, O., Popescu, B. O., Deme, S. M., Moessler, H., et al. (2010). Cerebrolysin adjuvant treatment in Broca’s aphasics following first acute ischemic stroke of the left middle cerebral artery. Journal of Medicine and Life, 3, 297–307.
Kabasawa, H., Matsubara, M., Kamimoto, K., Hibino, H., Banno, T., & Nagai, H. (1994). Effects of bifemelane hydrochloride on cerebral circulation and metabolism in patients with aphasia. Clinical Therapeutics, 16, 471–482.
Kasa, P., Papp, H., Kasa, P., & Torok, I. (2000). Donepezil dose-dependently inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity in various areas and in the presynaptic cholinergic and the postsynaptic cholinoceptive enzyme-positive structures in the human and rat brain. Neuroscience, 101, 89–100.
Kelly, H., Brady, M. C., & Enderby, P. (2010). Speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 12(5), CD000425.
Kertesz, A. (1979). Aphasia and associated disorders. Taxonomy, localization, and recovery. New York: Grune and Stratton.
Kertesz, A., Morlog, D., Light, M., Blair, M., Davidson, W., Jesso, S., et al. (2008). Galantamine in frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 25, 178–185.
Kessler, J., Thiel, A., Karbe, H., & Heiss, W. D. (2000). Piracetam improves activated blood flow and facilitates rehabilitation of poststroke aphasic patients. Stroke, 31, 2112–2116.
Kirmess, M., & Maher, L. M. (2010). Constraint induced language therapy in early aphasia rehabilitation. Aphasiology, 24, 725–736.
Kirvell, S. L., Elliott, M. S., Kalaria, R. N., Hortobágyi, T., Ballard, C., & Francis, P. T. (2010). Vesicular glutamate transporter and cognition in stroke. A case-control autopsy study. Neurology, 75, 1803–1809.
Klein, R. B., & Albert, M. L. (2004). Can drug therapies improve language functions of individuals with aphasia? A review of the evidence. Seminars in Speech and Language, 25(2), 193–204.
Knecht, S., Breitenstein, C., Bushuven, S., Wailke, S., Kamping, S., Flöel, A., et al. (2004). Levodopa: Faster and better word learning in normal humans. Annals of Neurology, 56, 20–26.
Kulisevsky, J., García-Sánchez, C., Berthier, M. L., Barbanoj, M., Pascual-Sedano, B., Gironell, A., et al. (2000). Chronic effects of dopaminergic replacement on cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease: A 2-year follow-up study of previously untreated patients. Movement Disorders, 15, 613–626.
Lambon Ralph, M. A., Snell, C., Fillingham, J. K., Conroy, P., & Sage, K. (2010). Predicting the outcome of anomia therapy for people with aphasia post CVA: Both language and cognitive status are key predictors. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 20, 289–305.
Laska, A. C., Hellblom, A., Murray, V., Kahan, T., & Von Arbin, M. (2001). Aphasia in acute stroke and relation to outcome. Journal of Internal Medicine, 249, 413–422.
Law, J., Rush, R., Pringle, A.-M., Irving, A.-M., Huby, G., Smith, M., et al. (2009). The incidence of cases of aphasia following first stroke referred to speech and language therapy services in Scotland. Aphasiology, 23, 1266–1275.
Lazar, R. M., & Antoniello, D. (2008). Variability in recovery from aphasia. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 8, 497–502.
Lazar, R. M., Speizer, A. E., Festa, J. R., Krakauer, J. W., & Marshall, R. S. (2008). Variability in language recovery after first-time stroke. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 79, 530–534.
Lazar, R. M., Minzer, B., Antoniello, D., Festa, J. R., Krakauer, J. W., & Marshall, R. S. (2010). Improvement in aphasia scores after stroke is well predicted by initial severity. Stroke, 41, 1485–1488.
Lee, A. W., & Hillis, A. E. (2008). The pharmacological treatment of aphasia. In B. Stemmer & H. A. Whitaker (Eds.), Handbook of the neuroscience of language (pp. 407–415). London: Academic.
Leemann, B., Laganaro, M., Chetelat-Mabillard, D., & Schnider, A. (2010). Crossover trial of subacute computerized aphasia therapy for anomia with the addition of either levodopa or placebo. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. doi:10.1177/1545968310376938.
Li, S. C., Lindenberger, U., & Sikström, S. (2001). Aging cognition: From neuromodulation to representation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 5, 479–486.
Liepert, J. (2008). Pharmacotherapy in restorative neurology. Current Opinion in Neurology, 21, 639–643.
Linebarger, M., McCall, D., Virata, T., & Berndt, R. S. (2007). Widening the temporal window: Processing support in the treatment of aphasic language production. Brain and Language, 100, 53–68.
Lipton, S. A. (2007). Pathologically-activated therapeutics for neuroprotection: Mechanism of NMDA receptor block by memantine and S-nitrosylation. Current Drug Targets, 8, 621–632.
Luria, A., Naydyn, V. L., Tsvetkova, L. S., & Vinarskaya, E. N. (1969). Restoration of higher cortical function following local brain damage. In P. J. Vinken & G. W. Bruyn (Eds.), Handbook of clinical neurology (pp. 368–433). Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company.
Mackowiak-Cordoliani, M. A., Bombois, S., Memin, A., Hénon, H., & Pasquier, F. (2005). Poststroke dementia in the elderly. Drugs & Aging, 22, 483–493.
Malykh, A. G., & Sadaie, M. R. (2010). Piracetam and piracetam-like drugs. From basic science to novel clinical applications to CNS disorders. Drugs, 70, 287–312.
Martin, H. G., & Wang, Y. T. (2010). Blocking the deadly effects of the NMDA receptor in stroke. Cell, 140, 174–176.
Martinsson, L., & Eksborg, S. (2004). Drugs for stroke recovery: The example of amphetamines. Drugs & Aging, 21, 67–79.
McClung, J. S., Rothi, L. J., & Nadeau, S. E. (2010). Ambient experience in restitutive treatment of aphasia. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 4, 183.
McKeage, K. (2009). Memantine: A review of its use in moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. CNS Drugs, 23, 881–897.
McNamara, P., & Albert, M. L. (2004). Neuropharmacology of verbal perseveration. Seminars in Speech and Language, 25, 309–321.
McNeil, M. R., Doyle, P. J., Spencer, K. A., Goda, A. J., Flores, D., & Small, S. L. (1997). A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of pharmacological and behavioural treatment of lexical-semantic deficits in aphasia. Aphasiology, 11, 385–400.
Meinzer, M., Djundja, D., Barthel, G., Elbert, T., & Rockstroh, B. (2005). Long-term stability of improved language functions in chronic aphasia after constraint-induced aphasia therapy. Stroke, 36, 1462–1466.
Meinzer, M., Streiftau, S., & Rockstroh, B. (2007). Intensive language training in the rehabilitation of chronic aphasia: Efficient training by laypersons. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 13, 846–853.
Meinzer, M., Flaisch, T., Breitenstein, C., Wienbruch, C., Elbert, T., & Rockstroh, B. (2008). Functional re-recruitment of dysfunctional brain areas predicts language recovery in chronic aphasia. NeuroImage, 39, 2038–2046.
Meinzer, M., Harnish, S., Conway, T., & Crosson, B. (2011). Recent developments in functional and structural imaging of aphasia recovery after stroke. Aphasiology, 25, 271–290.
Menke, R., Meinzer, M., Kugel, H., Deppe, M., Baumgärtner, A., Schiffbauer, H., et al. (2009). Imaging short- and long-term training success in chronic aphasia. BMC Neuroscience, 10, 118.
Mesulam, M., Siddique, T., & Cohen, B. (2003). Cholinergic denervation in a pure multi-infarct state: Observations on CADASIL. Neurology, 60, 1183–1185.
Micu, I., Jiang, Q., Coderre, E., Ridsdale, A., Zhang, L., Woulfe, J., et al. (2006). NMDA receptors mediate calcium accumulation in myelin during chemical ischaemia. Nature, 439, 988–992.
Naeser, M. A., Martin, P. I., Lundgren, K., Klein, R., Kaplan, J., Treglia, E., et al. (2010). Improved language in a chronic nonfluent aphasia patient after treatment with CPAP and TMS. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, 23, 29–38.
Nakahata, K., Kinoshita, H., Hama-Tomioka, K., Ishida, Y., Matsuda, N., Hatakeyama, N., et al. (2008). Cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil dilates cerebral parenchymal arterioles via the activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Anesthesiology, 109, 124–129.
Nicholas, M., Connor, L. T., Obler, L. K., & Albert, M. L. (1998). Aging, language, and language disorders. In M. T. Sarno (Ed.), Acquired Aphasia (3rd ed., pp. 413–449). San Diego: Academic.
Olesen, J., Baker, M. G., Freund, T., di Luca, M., Mendlewicz, J., Ragan, I., et al. (2006). Consensus documents on European brain research. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 77(Suppl I), i1–i49.
Orgogozo, J. M., Rigaud, A. S., Stöffler, A., Möbius, H. J., & Forette, F. (2002). Efficacy and safety of memantine in patients with mild to moderate vascular dementia: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial (MMM 300). Stroke, 33, 1834–1839.
Ozeren, A., Sarica, Y., Mavi, H., & Demirkiran, M. (1995). Bromocriptine is ineffective in the treatment of chronic nonfluent aphasia. Acta Neurologica Belgica, 95, 235–238.
Parsons, C. G., Stöffler, A., & Danysz, W. (2007). Memantine: A NMDA receptor antagonist that improves memory by restoration of homeostasis in the glutamatergic system—too little activation is bad, too much is even worse. Neuropharmacology, 53, 699–723.
Parton, A., Coulthard, E., & Husain, M. (2005). Neuropharmacological modulation of cognitive deficits after brain damage. Current Opinion in Neurology, 18, 675–680.
Pashek, G. V., & Bachman, D. L. (2003). Cognitive, linguistic, and motor speech of donepezil hydrochloride in a patient with stroke-related aphasia and apraxia of speech. Brain and Language, 87, 179–180.
Pedersen, P. M., Jørgensen, H. S., Nakayama, H., Raaschou, H. O., & Olsen, T. S. (1995). Aphasia in acute stroke: Incidence, determinants, and recovery. Annals of Neurology, 38, 659–666.
Pedersen, P. M., Vinter, K., & Olsen, T. S. (2004). Aphasia after stroke: Type, severity and prognosis. The Copenhagen aphasia study. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 17, 35–43.
Peisker, T., Bartoš, A., Skoda, O., Ibrahim, I., & Kalvach, P. (2010). Impact of aging on cerebral vasoregulation and parenchymal integrity. Journal of Neurological Sciences, 299, 112–115.
Price, J. L., McKeel, D. W. Jr., Buckles, V. D., Roe, C. M., Xiong, C., Grundman, M., et al. (2009). Neuropathology of nondemented aging: presumptive evidence for preclinical Alzheimer disease. Neurobiology of Aging, 30, 1026–1036.
Price, C. J., Seghier, M. L., & Leff, A. P. (2010). Predicting language outcome and recovery after stroke: The PLORAS system. Nature Reviews. Neurology, 6, 202–210.
Pulvermüller, F., & Berthier, M. L. (2008). Aphasia therapy on a neuroscience basis. Aphasiology, 22, 563–599.
Pulvermüller, F., Neininger, B., Elbert, T., Mohr, B., Rockstroh, B., Koebbel, P., et al. (2001). Constraint-induced therapy of chronic aphasia following stroke. Stroke, 32, 1621–1626.
Pulvermüller, F., Hauk, O., Zohsel, K., Neininger, B., & Mohr, B. (2005). Therapy-related reorganization of language in both hemispheres of patients with chronic aphasia. NeuroImage, 28, 481–489.
Raymer, A. M. (2003). Treatment of adynamia in aphasia. Front Bioscience, 8, s845–s851.
Raymer, A. M., Bandy, D., & Adair, J. C. (2001). Effects of bromocriptine in a patient with crossed nonfluent aphasia: A case report. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 82, 139–144.
Román, G. C., & Kalaria, R. N. (2006). Vascular determinants of cholinergic deficits in Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Neurobiology of Aging, 27, 1769–1785.
Román, G. C., Wilkinson, D. G., Doody, R. S., Black, S. E., Salloway, S. P., & Schindler, R. J. (2005). Donepezil in vascular dementia: Combined analysis of two large-scale clinical trials. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 20, 338–344.
Sabe, L., Leiguarda, R., & Starkstein, S. E. (1992). An open-label trial of bromocriptine in nonfluent aphasia. Neurology, 42, 1637–1638.
Sabe, L., Salvarezza, F., García Cuerva, A., Leiguarda, R., & Starkstein, S. (1995). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of bromocriptine in nonfluent aphasia. Neurology, 45, 2272–2274.
Sarter, M., Hasselmo, M. E., Bruno, J. P., & Givens, B. (2005). Unraveling the attentional functions of cortical cholinergic inputs: Interactions between signal-driven and cognitive modulation of signal detection. Brain Research Reviews, 48, 98–111.
Saur, D., Lange, R., Baumgaertner, A., Schraknepper, V., Willmes, K., Rijntjes, M., et al. (2006). Dynamics of language reorganization after stroke. Brain, 129, 1371–1384.
Sawyer, E., Mauro, L. S., & Ohlinger, M. J. (2008). Amantadine enhancement of arousal and cognition after traumatic brain injury. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 42, 247–252.
Schlaug, G., Marchina, S., & Norton, A. (2009). Evidence for plasticity in white-matter tracts of patients with chronic Broca’s aphasia undergoing intense intonation-based speech therapy. Annals of New York Academy of Sciences, 1169, 385–394.
Selden, N. R., Gitelman, D. R., Salamon-Murayama, N., et al. (1998). Trajectories of cholinergic pathways within the cerebral hemispheres of the human brain. Brain, 121, 2249–2257.
Seniów, J., Litwin, M., Litwin, T., Leśniak, M., & Członkowska, A. (2009). New approach to the rehabilitation of post-stroke focal cognitive syndrome: Effect of levodopa combined with speech and language therapy on functional recovery from aphasia. Journal of Neurological Sciences, 28, 214–218.
Sharp, S. I., Francis, P. T., Elliott, M. S., Kalaria, R. N., Bajic, N., Hortobagyi, T., et al. (2009). Choline acetyltransferase activity in vascular dementia and stroke. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 28, 233–238.
Shisler, R. J., Baylis, G. C., & Frank, E. M. (2000). Pharmacological approaches to the treatment and prevention of aphasia. Aphasiology, 14, 1163–1186.
Šimić, G., Mrzljak, L., Fučić, A., et al. (1999). Nucleus subputaminalis (Ayala): The still disregarded magnocellular component of the basal forebrain may be human specific and connected with the cortical speech area. Neuroscience, 89, 73–89.
Simmons-Mackie, N., Code, C., Armstrong, E., Stiegler, L., & Elman, R. J. (2002). What is aphasia? Results of an international survey. Aphasiology, 16, 837–848.
Small, S. L., & Llano, D. A. (2009). Biological approaches to aphasia treatment. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 9, 443–450.
Smith, S. M. (2002). Fast robust automated brain extraction. Human Brain Mapping, 17, 143–155.
Staekenborg, S. S., van der Flier, W. M., van Straaten, E. C., Lane, R., Barkhof, F., & Scheltens, P. (2008). Neurological signs in relation to type of cerebrovascular disease in vascular dementia. Stroke, 39, 317–322.
Starkstein, S. E., & Robinson, R. G. (1988). Depression and aphasia. Aphasiology, 2, 1–20.
Stys, P. K., & Lipton, S. A. (2007). White matter NMDA receptors: An unexpected new therapeutic target? Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 28, 561–566.
Swartz, R. H., Sahlas, D. J., & Black, S. E. (2003). Strategic involvement of cholinergic pathways and executive dysfunction: Does location of white matter signal hyperintensities matter? Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 12, 29–36.
Tanaka, Y., & Bachman, D. L. (2007). Pharmacotherapy of aphasia. In L. S. Connor & L. K. Obler (Eds.), Neurobehavior of language and cognition studies of normal aging and brain damage (pp. 159–162). Berlin: SpringerLink.
Tanaka, Y., Miyazaki, M., & Albert, M. L. (1997). Effect of increased cholinergic activity on naming in aphasia. Lancet, 350, 116–117.
Triggle, D. J. (1996). Dictionary of pharmacological agents. Boca Raton: Chapman & Hall/CRC.
Tsikunov, S. G., & Belokoskova, S. G. (2007). Psychophysiological analysis of the influence of vasopressin on speech in patients with poststroke aphasias. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 10, 178–188.
Tsouli, S., Kyritsis, A. P., Tsagalis, G., Virvidaki, E., & Vemmos, K. N. (2009). Significance of aphasia after first-ever acute stroke: Impact on early and late outcomes. Neuroepidemiology, 33, 96–102.
Tsz-Ming, C., & Kaufer, D. J. (2001). Effects of donepezil on aphasia, agnosia, and apraxia in patients with cerebrovascular lesions. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 13, 140. abstract.
Uchida, S., Suzuki, A., Kagitani, F., & Hotta, H. (2000). Effects of age on cholinergic vasodilation of cortical cerebral blood vessels in rats. Neuroscience Letters, 294, 109–112.
van Dyck, C., Schmitt, F. A., Olin, J. T., & for the Memantine MEM-MD-02 Study Group. (2006). A responder analysis of memantine treatment in patients with Alzheimer disease maintained on donepezil. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 428–437.
van Wageningen, H., Jørgensen, H. A., Specht, K., Eichele, T., & Hugdahl, K. (2009). The effects of the glutamate antagonist memantine on brain activation to an auditory perception task. Human Brain Mapping, 30, 3616–3624.
Walker-Batson, D., Unwin, H., Curtis, S., Allen, E., Wood, M., Smith, P., et al. (1992). Use of amphetamine in the treatment of aphasia. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 4, 47–50.
Walker-Batson, D., Curtis, S., Natarajan, R., Ford, J., Dronkers, N., Salmeron, E., et al. (2001). Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the use of amphetamine in the treatment of aphasia. Stroke, 32, 2093–2098.
Whiting, E., Chenery, H. J., Chalk, J., & Copland, D. A. (2008). Dexamphetamine boosts naming treatment effects in chronic aphasia. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 13, 972–979.
Wierenga, C. E., Benjamin, M., Gopinath, K., Perlstein, W. M., Leonard, C. M., Rothi, L. J., et al. (2008). Age-related changes in word retrieval: Role of bilateral frontal and subcortical networks. Neurobiology of Aging, 29, 436–451.
Wilcock, G., Möbius, H. J., Stöffler, A., & MMM 500 group. (2002). A double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre study of memantine in mild to moderate vascular dementia (MMM500). International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 17, 297–305.
Wilkinson, D., & Andersen, H. F. (2007). Analysis of the effect of memantine in reducing the worsening of clinical symptoms in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 24, 138–145.
Wilkinson, D., Róman, G., Salloway, S., Hecker, J., Boundy, K., Kumar, D., et al. (2010). The long-term efficacy and tolerability of donepezil in patients with vascular dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25, 305–313.
Winblad, B. (2005). Piracetam: A review of pharmacological properties and clinical uses. CNS Drug Reviews, 11, 169–182.
Worsley, K. J. (2001). Statistical analysis of activation images. In P. Jezzard, P. M. Matthews, S. M. Smith (Eds.), Functional MRI: An introduction to methods. Ch14, OUP.
Yesavage, J. A., Mumenthaler, M. S., Taylor, J. L., Friedman, L., O’Hara, R., Sheikh, J., et al. (2002). Donepezil and flight simulator performance: Effects on retention of complex skills. Neurology, 59, 123–125.
Ziganshina, L. E., Abakumova, T., & Kuchaeva, A. (2010). Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 14(4), CD007026.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded in part by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain (grant SEJ2007-67,793) (MLB) and the Medical Research Council, UK (grants U1055.04.003.00001.01 and MC_US_A060_0034) (FP). We thank Alejandro Nabrozidis and Seán Froudist Walsh for neuroimaging analysis and Macarena Travesí for drawing Fig. 2. Special thanks to Professor Ronald M. Lazar for his insightful comments on the final version of the draft.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berthier, M.L., Pulvermüller, F., Dávila, G. et al. Drug Therapy of Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Review of Current Evidence. Neuropsychol Rev 21, 302–317 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-011-9177-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-011-9177-7