OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy between scalp acupuncture electrical stimulation and routine scalp acupuncture for motor aphasia in subacute stage of cerebral infarction. METHODS: A total of 54 patients with motor aphasia in subacute stage of cerebral infarction were randomly divided into an observation group (27 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (27 cases, 2 cases dropped off ). Both groups were treated with routine medication and language training. In the observation group, scalp acupuncture was given at bilateral lower 2/5 of the parietal and temporal anterior oblique line and temporal frontline; after the arrival of RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of listening comprehension, retelling, naming, spontaneous conversation and BDAE grade in the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment ( CONCLUSION The scalp acupuncture electrical stimulation could improve cerebral circulation, activate specific functional areas of cerebral cortex, and promote the reconstruction and recovery of brain language function. Its curative effect is better than conventional scalp acupuncture.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aphasia, Broca ; Cerebral Infarction/therapy* ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Scalp ; Stroke ; Treatment Outcome

Digital therapeutics is an evidence-based intervention using high-quality software, with the sole purpose of treatment. As many healthcare systems are encountering high demands of quality outcomes, the need for digital therapeutics is gradually increasing in the clinical field. We conducted review of the implications of digital therapeutics in the treatment of neurological deficits for stroke patients. The implications of digital therapeutics have been discussed in four domains: cognition, speech and aphasia, motor, and vision. It was evident that different forms of digital therapeutics such as online platforms, virtual reality trainings, and iPad applications have been investigated in many trials to test its feasibility in clinical use. Although digital therapeutics may deliver high-quality solutions to healthcare services, the medicalization of digital therapeutics is accompanied with many limitations. Clinically validated digital therapeutics should be developed to prove its efficacy in stroke rehabilitation.
Aphasia ; Aphasia, Broca ; Cognition ; Delivery of Health Care ; Hemianopsia ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Medicalization ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Rehabilitation ; Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To analyze 18F-THK5351 positron emission tomography (PET) scans of patients with clinically diagnosed nonfluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia (navPPA). METHODS: Thirty-one participants, including those with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n=13), navPPA (n=3), and those with normal control (NC, n=15) who completed 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, 18F-THK5351 PET scans, and detailed neuropsychological tests, were included. Voxel-based and region of interest (ROI)-based analyses were performed to evaluate retention of 18F-THK5351 in navPPA patients. RESULTS: In ROI-based analysis, patients with navPPA had higher levels of THK retention in the Broca's area, bilateral inferior frontal lobes, bilateral precentral gyri, and bilateral basal ganglia. Patients with navPPA showed higher levels of THK retention in bilateral frontal lobes (mainly left side) compared than NC in voxel-wise analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, THK retention in navPPA patients was mainly distributed at the frontal region which was well correlated with functional-radiological distribution of navPPA. Our results suggest that tau PET imaging could be a supportive tool for diagnosis of navPPA in combination with a clinical history.
Alzheimer Disease ; Aphasia, Primary Progressive* ; Basal Ganglia ; Broca Area ; Diagnosis ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurofibrillary Tangles ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Primary Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia ; tau Proteins

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a neuroendocrine tumor that mainly arises from the medulla of the adrenal gland. Some PCCs become malignant and metastasize to other organs. For example, it typically involves skeletal system, liver, lung, and regional lymph nodes. However, only a few cases of PCC with brain metastasis have been reported worldwide. We report a case of metastatic brain tumor from PCC in South Korea in 2016. A 52-year-old man presented with headache, dizziness and motor aphasia. He had a medical history of PCC with multi-organ metastasis, previously underwent several operations, and was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Brain MRIs showed a brain tumor on the left parietal lobe. Postoperative pathology confirmed that the metastatic brain tumor derived from malignant PCC. This is the first report PCC with brain metastasis in South Korea.
Adrenal Glands ; Aphasia, Broca ; Brain Neoplasms ; Brain* ; Dizziness ; Drug Therapy ; Headache ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Parietal Lobe ; Pathology ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Radiotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of specific brain lesions on prognosis and recovery of post-stroke aphasia, and to assess the characteristic pattern of recovery. METHODS: Total of 15 subjects with first-ever, left hemisphere stroke, who were right handed, and who completed language assessment using the Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery (K-WAB) at least twice during the subacute and chronic stages of stroke, were included. The brain lesions of the participants were evaluated using MRI-cron, SPM8, and Talairach Daemon software. RESULTS: Subtraction of the lesion overlap map of the participants who showed more than 30% improvement in the aphasia quotient (AQ) by the time of their chronic stage (n=9) from the lesion overlap map of those who did not show more than 30% improvement in the AQ (n=6) revealed a strong relationship with Broca's area, inferior prefrontal gyrus, premotor cortex, and a less strong relationship with Wernicke's area and superior and middle temporal gyri. The culprit lesion related to poor prognosis, after grouping the subjects according to their AQ score in the chronic stage (a cut score of 50), revealed a strong relationship with Broca's area, superior temporal gyrus, and a less strong relationship with Wernicke's area, prefrontal cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus. CONCLUSION: Brain lesions in the Broca's area, inferior prefrontal gyrus, and premotor cortex may be related to slow recovery of aphasia in patients with left hemisphere stroke. Furthermore, involvement of Broca's area and superior temporal gyrus may be associated with poor prognosis of post-stroke aphasia.
Aphasia* ; Brain ; Broca Area ; Hand ; Humans ; Motor Cortex ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Prognosis* ; Stroke* ; Temporal Lobe ; Wernicke Area

No abstract available.
Aphasia, Broca* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Coma

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in clinical efficacy on post-stroke motor aphasia among the combined therapy of acupoint application of jieyu plaster and acupuncture, simple acupuncture and simple acupoint application of jieyu plaster.

METHODSEighty-six patients of post-stroke motor aphasia were randomized into an acupuncture group (28 cases) , an acupoint application gruop (29 cases) and the combined therapy group (29 cases). In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied at the Speech No. 1 area and three-tongue needling points, once a day, 6 times a week. In the acupoint application group, jieyue plaster was applied to Yongquan (KI 1) and Laogong (PC 8), once a day, and the bilateral acupoints were selected alternatively. In the combined therapy group, the therapeutic methods of the first two groups were used in combination. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks in the three groups. The speech function score was observed and compared before and after treatment in the three groups and the efficacy was compared among the three groups.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 86.2% (25/29) in the combined therapy group, which was better than 67.9% (19/28) in the acupuncture group and 69.0% (20/29) in the acupoint application group (both P < 0.05). After treatment, the scores of spontaneous conversation, restatement and nomenclature in the speech function were all improved as compared with those before treatment in the three groups (all P < 0.01). The results in the combined therapy group were apparently better than those in the acupuncture group and the acupoint application group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapy of acupoint application of jieyu plaster and acupuncture apparently improves the speech function in the treatment of post-stroke motor aphasia and the efficacy is better than that of simple acupuncture or simple acupoint application.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Aphasia, Broca ; drug therapy ; etiology ; therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stroke ; complications ; Treatment Outcome

A 43-year-old man with no notable medical history was admitted due to sudden onset dysarthria and right side weakness. The man was diagnosed with acute infarction of left basal ganglia (BG) and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM). After 9 hours post the thrombolysis, mental change and left side weakness symptoms were newly observed, and the man was additionally diagnosed with acute infarction in right BG.The man showed symptoms of quadriplegia and was fed through nasogastric tube. He showed motor aphasia, and no signs of phonation, but showed some indications of intact cognition. After rehabilitation therapies, the man showed marginal improvement in motor function, but still lacked any meaningful changes functionally. This is the first case of symmetric bilateral BG infarction, which one-sided infarction additionally occurred within 24 hours post the treatment of contralateral infarction through thrombolysis. Also,the features observed were atypical while the patient has no previous external causes related with bilateral BG infarction.
Adult ; Aphasia, Broca ; Basal Ganglia* ; Cognition ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dysarthria ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Phonation ; Quadriplegia ; Rehabilitation ; Thrombolytic Therapy

Adult ; Aged ; Aphasia, Broca ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Cues ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Speech ; physiology ; Voice

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.
Aphasia ; Aphasia, Broca ; Humans ; Language ; Language Therapy ; Music ; Music Therapy ; Singing ; Speech Therapy ; Stroke