title: Action observation as a useful approach for enhancing recovery of verb production: new evidence from aphasia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence exists that the observation of actions performed by others enhance word retrieval and can be used in aphasia rehabilitation to treat naming impairments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to assess to what extent action observation treatment may improve verb retrieval in chronic aphasics.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were recruited from the Neurorehabilitation Centre of Ancona Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six aphasic patients underwent an intensive language training to improve verb naming.
  
  
  METHODS
  Language evaluation was carried out before and after the treatment. A rehabilitation therapy based on observation of actions was administered daily to each patient for two consecutive weeks. Four different rehabilitation procedures were adopted: 1) "observation of action performed by the examiner"; 2) "observation and then execution of action"; 3) "observation of videoclips of actions"; and, as a control condition; 4) "observation of action and execution of meaningless movement".
  
  
  RESULTS
  In four participants, a significant improvement in verb retrieval was found for the three experimental procedures (χ² (3)=75.212, P<0.0001), with respect to the control condition. No significant improvement was observed in the two patients with severe deficits in verb semantics (χ² (3)=0.592, P=0.892).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Action observation therapy may become a useful intervention strategy to promote verb retrieval in aphasic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observation of videoclips of actions may be an efficacious alternative approach to traditional rehabilitation programs for lexical deficits. This finding endorses the planning of innovative low-cost interventions in language rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy - p.marangolo@univpm.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonifazi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomaiuolo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altoè
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ceravolo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Provinciali
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marangolo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007808:Language Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019370:Observation; D012660:Semantics; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014825:Vocabulary