title: Speech therapy in primary progressive aphasia: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disorder with no effective pharmacological treatment. Cognition-based interventions are adequate alternatives, but their benefit has not been thoroughly explored. Our aim was to study the effect of speech and language therapy (SLT) on naming ability in PPA.
  
  
  METHODS
  An open parallel prospective longitudinal study involving two centers was designed to compare patients with PPA submitted to SLT (1 h/week for 11 months) with patients receiving no therapy. Twenty patients were enrolled and undertook baseline language and neuropsychological assessments; among them, 10 received SLT and 10 constituted an age- and education-matched historical control group. The primary outcome measure was the change in group mean performance on the Snodgrass and Vanderwart naming test between baseline and follow-up assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intervention and control groups did not significantly differ on demographic and clinical variables at baseline. A mixed repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of therapy (F(1,18) = 10.763; p = 0.005) on the performance on the Snodgrass and Vanderwart naming test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although limited by a non-randomized open study design with a historical control group, the present study suggests that SLT may have a benefit in PPA, and it should prompt a randomized, controlled, rater-blind clinical trial.
authors.affiliation: Memory Clinic, Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon and Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luísa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Farrajota
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maruta
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maroco
authors.forename: Isabel Pavão
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guerreiro
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Mendonça