Exercise effects on consolidation of speech and language training in post-stroke aphasia: a case report

Post-stroke aphasia severely impacts communication and quality of life. Aerobic exercise enhances learning and memory in healthy adults, with evidence suggesting benefits for verbal tasks. Research exploring its effects in stroke patients with aphasia is minimal. This case study investigated the effects of combining speech and language therapy (SLT) with high-intensity aerobic exercise on speech performance in post-stroke aphasia. Over 4 weeks, two participants with post-stroke anomic aphasia engaged in daily 20-min SLT sessions focused on naming activities. Speech training was followed by 20-min of high-intensity interval exercise on alternate days (Tuesday, Thursday). Speech performance was assessed daily, and the Western Aphasia Battery was used to assess expressive and receptive language skills before and after the intervention. Participants demonstrated greater day-to-day speech performance gains the following days when exercise was performed immediately after speech training (Cohen's d range: 2.40-2.59), suggesting that exercise enhanced consolidation of learned speech skills. Participants also demonstrated improved aphasia quotient scores via the Western Aphasia Battery following completion of the intervention. Results suggest potential benefits of combining SLT with aerobic exercise for rehabilitation of anomic aphasia. Findings may contribute to the development of novel approaches to facilitate response to post-stroke language rehabilitation.