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Therapy-Induced Electrophysiological Changes in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Preliminary Study
Jara Stalpaert1, Sofie Standaert2, Lien D'Helft2
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|April 18, 2022
Summary
Speech-language therapy may improve electrophysiological language processing in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This preliminary study observed potential benefits in one patient with non-fluent variant PPA, suggesting therapy-induced compensation mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurolinguistics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting language.
- Electrophysiological measures, such as event-related potentials (ERPs), offer insights into language processing deficits.
- Investigating therapy-induced changes in ERPs can reveal underlying neural mechanisms and treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate therapy-induced electrophysiological changes in language processing in individuals with PPA.
- To explore the impact of speech-language therapy (SLT) on specific event-related potential (ERP) components.
Main Methods:
- A linguistic ERP test battery and standardized language assessment were administered to four PPA patients.
- Two patients received SLT, while two did not.
- Assessments were conducted twice, approximately six months apart, to compare initial and follow-up results.
Main Results:
- Behavioral language assessments remained stable, but electrophysiological changes (amplitude, latency, duration) were observed in all patients.
- Patients without SLT showed increased ERP delays and decreased amplitudes.
- One patient with non-fluent variant PPA receiving SLT demonstrated reduced ERP delays and increased amplitudes for mismatch negativity and N400, with P600 emerging at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Preliminary findings suggest SLT may induce improvements or compensatory mechanisms in specific language comprehension processes in some PPA patients, particularly the non-fluent variant.
- No clear overall patterns of electrophysiological change were identified between SLT and non-SLT groups due to the small, heterogeneous sample size.
- Future research requires larger cohorts across PPA variants to elucidate therapy-induced electrophysiological changes and their relationship to underlying pathology.
