Background.
Despite progress made in understanding functional reorganization
patterns underlying recovery in subacute aphasia, the relation between
recovery and changes in white matter structure remains unclear. Objective.
To investigate changes in dorsal and ventral language white matter
tract integrity in relation to naming recovery in subacute poststroke
aphasia.
Methods.
Ten participants with aphasia after
left-hemisphere stroke underwent language testing and diffusion tensor
imaging twice within 3 months post onset, with a 1-month interval
between sessions. Deterministic tractography was used to bilaterally
reconstruct the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), inferior
fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus
(ILF), middle longitudinal fasciculus (MdLF), and uncinate fasciculus
(UF). Per tract, the mean fractional anisotropy (FA) was extracted as a
measure of microstructural integrity. Naming accuracy was assessed with
the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Correlational analyses were performed to
investigate the relationship between changes in FA values and change in
BNT score.
Results.
A strong positive correlation was found between FA change in the right ILF within the ventral stream and change on the BNT (r = 0.91, P
< .001). An increase in FA in the right ILF was associated with
considerable improvement of naming accuracy (range BNT change score:
12-14), a reduction with limited improvement or slight deterioration. No
significant correlations were found between change in naming accuracy
and FA change in any of the other right or left ventral and dorsal
language tracts.
Conclusions.
Naming recovery in subacute aphasia is associated with change in the integrity of the right ILF.
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