Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine  2013;37(4):556-562

doi:10.5535/arm.2013.37.4.556

The Therapeutic Effect of Neurologic Music Therapy and Speech Language Therapy in Post-Stroke Aphasic Patients.

Kil Byung LIM 1 ; Yong Kyun KIM ; Hong Jae LEE ; Jeehyun YOO ; Ji Youn HWANG ; Jeong Ah KIM ; Sung Kyun KIM

Affiliations

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Keywords

Stroke; Aphasia; Music therapy; Speech therapy

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of neurologic music therapy (NMT) and speech language therapy (SLT) through improvement of the aphasia quotient (AQ) in post-stroke aphasic patients. METHODS: Twenty-one post-stroke, nonfluent aphasia patients who had ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke on radiologic evaluation were divided into the NMT and SLT groups. They received NMT and SLT for 1 month. Language function was assessed by Korean version-Western Aphasia Battery before and after therapy. NMT consisted of therapeutic singing and melodic intonation therapy, and SLT consisted of language-oriented therapy. RESULTS: Significant improvements were revealed in AQ, repetition, and naming after therapy in the NMT group and improvements in repetition in the SLT group of chronic stroke patients (p<0.05). There were significant improvements in language ability in the NMT group of subacute stroke patients. However, there was no significant improvement in the SLT group of subacute stroke patients. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the two therapies are effective treatments in the chronic stage of stroke and NMT is effective in subacute post-stroke aphasic patients.