BACKGROUNDThere has been a long debate among scholars surrounding the relationship between language and cognition. The worldwide study of aphasia is actively exploring the function of language from cognitive point of view. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between linguistic functions and cognitive functions in a clinical study of Chinese patients with post-stroke aphasia.

METHODSCognitive functions of 63 Chinese patients with aphasia following a stroke were assessed with the Chinese version of the second edition of Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) battery and their linguistic functions were tested with the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) Scale, respectively. The correlation between the results observed on the LOTCA battery and those on the WAB was analyzed. Aphasia quotient, performance quotient, cortical quotient, and linguistic function of the patients were compared. Then, each language function was analyzed by way of dependent adopt multiple regression analysis.

RESULTSThe total score of 63 patients as shown on the LOTCA battery was significantly correlated with the aphasia quotient, performance quotient, and cortical quotient observed on the WAB Scale (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). However, the correlation between visuomotor organization under LOTCA and repeat under WAB was not significant (P > 0.05). The attention of LOTCA and WAB's spontaneous speech, repeat, naming, and aphasia quotient was not relevant either (P > 0.05). In addition, correlations between the results observed on the LOTCA battery and the WAB were significant (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Among the significant variables finally entered into the standardized canonical discriminant functions, main factors affected the aphasia. Multiple regression analysis showed that orientation, spatial perception, and visual perception had a notable influence on aphasia quotient and naming. Orientation and thinking operation was found to have a notable influence on spontaneous speech. Spatial perception and visual perception was found to have a notable influence on auditory comprehension. Thinking operation and orientation was found to have an obvious influence on reading. Thinking operation, spatial perception, and attention was found to have a notable effect on writing (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThere exists a close relationship between linguistic functions and cognitive orientation, spatial perception, visual perception, and thinking operation in a clinical study of Chinese patients with post-stroke aphasia.