fMRI Outcomes Following MIT in Post-Stroke Aphasia
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
Many individuals with aphasia following a left-hemisphere stroke retain the ability to sing despite limited spontaneous verbal output. These capabilities were leveraged to develop Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT), a systematic prosodic/rhythmic method to foster recovery of verbal expression in individuals with nonfluent aphasia. Recent reviews have summarized neuroimaging outcomes following aphasia treatment, with few including MIT. The purpose of the current project was to systematically review the fMRI literature to explore neuroplastic changes associated with MIT. We searched four databases and reference lists for studies that implemented fMRI following MIT in adults with aphasia following left-hemisphere stroke. Seven studies met inclusion criteria, including five case studies and two group studies. We also implemented a 20-item fMRI appraisal checklist to consider the quality of methods and statistical analyses. All seven fMRI studies, with 30 total participants (22 male, 8 female; 6 subacute, 24 chronic), reported improvements on language measures and increased right-hemisphere activation. However, three out of five case studies also noted increased post-MIT left activation, particularly in prefrontal and inferior parietal regions. Our right hemisphere prediction was largely supported as two group studies and five case studies reported increased activation in right perisylvian regions following MIT, particularly the IFG and STG. Overall, the preponderance of the fMRI evidence of this review supports primarily right hemisphere mediation of successful response to MIT.
Keywords: aphasia, melodic intonation therapy, fMRI, stroke, neuroplasticity, brain activation, language recovery, speech-language pathology, systematic review
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Anastasia Raymer
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
sraymer@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
School of Speech-Language Pathology
College/School Affiliation
Ellmer College of Health Sciences
Student Level Group
Graduate/Professional
Presentation Type
Poster
fMRI Outcomes Following MIT in Post-Stroke Aphasia
Many individuals with aphasia following a left-hemisphere stroke retain the ability to sing despite limited spontaneous verbal output. These capabilities were leveraged to develop Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT), a systematic prosodic/rhythmic method to foster recovery of verbal expression in individuals with nonfluent aphasia. Recent reviews have summarized neuroimaging outcomes following aphasia treatment, with few including MIT. The purpose of the current project was to systematically review the fMRI literature to explore neuroplastic changes associated with MIT. We searched four databases and reference lists for studies that implemented fMRI following MIT in adults with aphasia following left-hemisphere stroke. Seven studies met inclusion criteria, including five case studies and two group studies. We also implemented a 20-item fMRI appraisal checklist to consider the quality of methods and statistical analyses. All seven fMRI studies, with 30 total participants (22 male, 8 female; 6 subacute, 24 chronic), reported improvements on language measures and increased right-hemisphere activation. However, three out of five case studies also noted increased post-MIT left activation, particularly in prefrontal and inferior parietal regions. Our right hemisphere prediction was largely supported as two group studies and five case studies reported increased activation in right perisylvian regions following MIT, particularly the IFG and STG. Overall, the preponderance of the fMRI evidence of this review supports primarily right hemisphere mediation of successful response to MIT.
Keywords: aphasia, melodic intonation therapy, fMRI, stroke, neuroplasticity, brain activation, language recovery, speech-language pathology, systematic review