Background
White
matter hyperintensities (WMH) are a radiological marker of brain health
that has been associated with language status in poststroke aphasia;
however, its association with language treatment outcomes remains
unknown.
Objective
To
determine whether WMH in the right hemisphere (RH) predict response to
language therapy independently from demographics and stroke
lesion–related factors in poststroke aphasia.
Methods
We
used the Fazekas scale to rate WMH in the RH in 30 patients with
poststroke aphasia who received language treatment. We developed ordinal
regression models to examine language treatment effects as a function
of WMH severity after controlling for aphasia severity, stroke lesion
volume, time post onset, age, and education level. We also evaluated
associations between WMH severity and both pre-treatment naming ability
and executive function.
Results
The
severity of WMH in the RH predicted treatment response independently
from demographic and stroke-related factors such that patients with less
severe WMH exhibited better treatment outcome. WMH scores were not
significantly correlated with pretreatment language scores, but they
were significantly correlated with pretreatment scores of executive
function.
Conclusion
We suggest that the severity of WMH in the RH is a clinically relevant predictor of treatment response in this population.
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