Short-term Memory Assessment in Patients With Poststroke Aphasia

NCT06068296 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: BC-08865
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 9
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Background and aim There is a growing awareness that people with aphasia (language problems) after a stroke often have difficulties with their short-term memory (STM). As a result, the explanation underlying aphasia has recently been seen as a language processing disorder, where multiple cognitive processes interact. To evaluate the cognitive processes underlying aphasia, there is a need for reliable and valid assessment tools. However, the quality of tests usually used to assess STM problems in aphasia patients is questioned because they are not specifically designed to be used in aphasia patients. This raises some concern, as impairments of STM can be predictive for the recovery and rehabilitation of aphasia patients. As an important exception, a recent study has developed a new English evaluation tool (i.e., The Temple Assessment of Language and (Verbal) Short-term Memory in Aphasia; TALSA) that examines language and STM aspects specifically developed for persons with aphasia. However, the existence of a Dutch evaluation tool specifically designed to assess language and STM problems in people with aphasia after a stroke is lacking. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to develop a Dutch clinical version of the TALSA battery that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of STM problems in persons with aphasia. The development of the test focuses on its clinical feasibility (e.g. test duration, difficulty of the items and response modality). Pilot testing of the Dutch STM assessment instrument in the clinical and healthy population is very important to adapt the test where necessary. In addition, the quality of the test should also be carefully evaluated. Method The first step towards the development of a Dutch STM assessment instrument is the careful selection of the most crucial subtests of the original TALSA battery. Not all subtests will be selected due to the long testing time of the TALSA battery, and as mentioned earlier, the Dutch STM assessment tool focuses on clinical feasibility of the test. The second step is pilot testing the Dutch STM assessment instrument in persons with aphasia and healthy persons. Persons with aphasia will be recruited at the Stroke unit of Ghent University Hospital. All eligible patients will be asked to provide written informed consent to participate in this study. Three tests will be administered, namely the Oxford Cognitive Screen, the Token Test and the Dutch STM assessment tool. It is important that these tests are taken on the same day or on two consecutive days, depending on the circumstances (e.g. fatigue). The Token Test and Oxford Cognitive Screen provide a picture of the patient's cognitive profile. Throughout the process of pilot testing, the Dutch STM assessment tool will be adapted and improved where necessary. In order to verify or adjust the difficulty of the items, it is crucial that the STM assessment instrument is also tested on a small number of healthy control subjects (recruited via social media platforms).

Conditions

Aphasia, Acquired; Short-Term Memory Impairment

Keywords

aphasia; short-term memory; assessment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• verbal short-term memory in poststroke aphasia

  assessment of verbal short-term memory in patients with poststroke aphasia: feasability, psychometric properties and normative data

  2 hours

Study Arms (2)

Short term memory assessment in patients with aphasia.

OTHER

Evaluation of short term memory in a patient population with poststroke aphasia using a dutch version of the Temple Assessment of Language and Verbal Short-Term memory in aphasia (TALSA).

Diagnostic Test: short term memory assessment; Diagnostic Test: Oxford cognitive screen; Diagnostic Test: Token Test

short term memory assessment in healthy volunteers

OTHER

Evaluation of short term memory in healthy volunteers using a dutch version of the Temple Assessment of Language and Verbal Short-Term memory in aphasia (TALSA).

Diagnostic Test: short term memory assessment; Diagnostic Test: Montreal cognitive assessment

Interventions

short term memory assessment DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Aphasia group: The Dutch verbal STM assessment tool will be administered over a time span of maximum two consecutive days depending on how fatigued the patient is during testing. Healthy control group: the Dutch verbal STM assessment tool will be administered.

Short term memory assessment in patients with aphasia.; short term memory assessment in healthy volunteers

Oxford cognitive screen DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Evaluation of the cognitive abilities of the patients with aphasia.

Short term memory assessment in patients with aphasia.

Token Test DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Evaluation of the severity of the aphasia in patients with aphasia.

Short term memory assessment in patients with aphasia.

Montreal cognitive assessment DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Evaluation of cognitive dysfunction in the group of healthy volunteers.

short term memory assessment in healthy volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 85 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aphasia after an initial ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke diagnosed by the speech pathologist and a screening instrument to evaluate aphasia (ScreeLing)
• Age 18-85 years
• Speak Dutch as a mother language
• Acute to subacute phase poststroke
• Signed informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• There is a history of other diseases of the central nervous system causing non-stroke related speech-, language or cognitive disorder
• They present severe sensory impairment or other co-morbidities prohibiting administration of the assessment tool
• Excessive active alcohol or drug abuse
• Transient ischemic attack (i.e., TIA)
• Normal score (\> 26) on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)
• Speak Dutch as a mother language
• Have no history of stroke or other central nervous system diseases that affect speech, language or cognition
• Have no severe auditory or visual disorders

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Ghent: lead

Study Sites (2)

Ghent University Hospital

Ghent, East Flanders, 9000, Belgium

Location

University Hospital Ghent

Ghent, 9000, Belgium

Location

Related Publications (18)

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  PMID: 30220790 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 27143500 BACKGROUND

• Seniow J, Litwin M, Lesniak M. The relationship between non-linguistic cognitive deficits and language recovery in patients with aphasia. J Neurol Sci. 2009 Aug 15;283(1-2):91-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2009.02.315. Epub 2009 Mar 6.

  PMID: 19268973 BACKGROUND

• Bastiaanse, R, Wieling, M, Wolthuis, N. The role of frequency in the retrieval of nouns and verbs in aphasia. Aphasiology. 2016; 30(11): 1221-1239.

  BACKGROUND

• Kay, J, Lesser, R, Coltheart, M. Psycholinguistic assessments of language processing in aphasia (PALPA): An introduction. Aphasiology. 1996; 10(2): 159-180.

  BACKGROUND

• McNeil, MR, Pratt, SR. Defining aphasia: Some theoretical and clinical implications of operating from a formal definition. Aphasiology. 2001; 15(10-11): 901-911.

  BACKGROUND

• Murray, LL. Direct and indirect treatment approaches for addressing short-term or working memory deficits in aphasia. Aphasiology. 2012; 26(3-4): 317-337.

  BACKGROUND

• Dell GS, Martin N, Schwartz MF. A Case-Series Test of the Interactive Two-step Model of Lexical Access: Predicting Word Repetition from Picture Naming. J Mem Lang. 2007 May 1;56(4):490-520. doi: 10.1016/j.jml.2006.05.007.

  PMID: 21085621 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Aphasia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2022
• First Posted: October 5, 2023
• Study Start: April 30, 2023
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2023
• Study Completion: April 30, 2023
• Last Updated: October 5, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BE (2)