Speech fluency in aphasia. Regional cerebral blood flow correlates of recovery using single-photon emission computed tomography.
This study investigated the relationship between diminished regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and the recovery of fluent speech in aphasia. Single-photon emission computed tomographic brain scans using [123I]N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine were obtained from 14 nonfluent aphasic patients within 30 days of cerebral infarction. Measurements of speech fluency were acquired initially and at 3 months after infarction. Nearly all of the patients exhibited significant hypoperfusion to combinations of the anterior and posterior regions of the basal ganglion, the periventricular white matter, and the inferior frontal regions. Only the inferior frontal area was significantly associated with recovery of fluent speech. This region was hypoperfused in 4 of 5 patients with poor recovery while 8 of the 9 patients with good speech fluency recovery demonstrated normal rCBF to the inferior frontal region.
Mlcoch
A G
AG
Audiology and Speech Pathology Service (126), Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital, IL 60141.
Bushnell
D L
DL
Gupta
S
S
Milo
T J
TJ
D000368:Aged; D001037:Aphasia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon