Associations between Upper Extremity Motor Function and Aphasia after Stroke: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Poststroke aphasia (PSA) often coexists with upper extremity (UE) motor dysfunction. However, whether the presence of PSA affects UE motor performance, and if language function associates with UE motor performance, are unclear. This study is aimed at (1) comparing the motor status of UE between patients with PSA and without PSA and (2) investigating the association between language function and UE motor status in patients with PSA. Methods. Patients with stroke were compared and correlated from overall and three periods (1-3 months, 4-6 months, and >6 months). Fugl-Meyer assessment for the upper extremity (FMA-UE) and action research and arm test (ARAT) were used to compare the UE motor status between patients with PSA and without PSA through a cross-sectional study among 435 patients. Then, the correlations between the evaluation scale scores of UE motor status and language function of patients with PSA were analyzed in various dimensions, and the language subfunction most closely related to UE motor function was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. Results. We found that the scores of FMA-UE and ARAT in patients with PSA were 14 points ((CI) 10 to 18, p < 0.001 ) and 11 points lower ((CI) 8 to 13, p < 0.001 ), respectively, than those without PSA. Their FMA-UE ( r = 0.70 , p < 0.001 ) and ARAT ( r = 0.62 , p < 0.001 ) scores were positively correlated with language function. Regression analysis demonstrated that spontaneous speech ability may account for UE motor function ( R 2 = 0.51 , p < 0.001 ; R 2 = 0.42 , p < 0.001 ). Consistent results were also obtained from the analyses within the three time subgroups. Conclusion. Stroke patients with PSA have worse UE motor performance. UE motor status and language function showed positive correlations, in which spontaneous speech ability significantly accounts for the associations.

A Comparative Analysis of Functional Status and Mobility in Stroke Patients with and without Aphasia

“…On admission to the ward, the group of patients with aphasia had worse scores for trunk control (TCT) and the results in the SAS: trunk, arm control and hand function, compared to patients without aphasia. Similar results for the TCT scale were obtained by Gialanella et al [ 12 , 19 ] and Xu et al, who emphasised that stroke patients with aphasia have worse upper extremity motor function compared to those without aphasia [ 18 ].…”

“…According to some authors, aphasia can affect post-stroke functional recovery and clinical outcome [ 17 ], and patients with post-stroke aphasia have worse upper extremity motor dysfunction [ 18 ]. Others suggest that aphasia is an obstacle to rehabilitation and is a predictor of motor, functional and social outcomes [ 12 , 19 ].…”

Determining levels of linguistic deficit by applying cluster analysis to the aphasia quotient of Western Aphasia Battery in post-stroke aphasia

“…The data used in this report were obtained through our retrospective screening of the baseline evaluation database during the course of 2 studies of PSA conducted between 2020 and 2022 15 , 16 . The 2 studies used identical methodology for the collection of WAB-AQ data.…”

Improvement of language function after Contralateral Seventh Cervical Nerve Transfer in hemiplegic patients combined with post-stroke aphasia: a prospective observational cohort study

“…The improvement of motor function mainly appears at 1 year after the surgery in previous reports 10,20 . Since the motor function is deeply involved in the network of language production 21,22 , it's more likely to be related to the spasticity decrease which also appeared at one-week. However, spasticity would recur approximately at 3 months after the surgery and sustained to over 6 months after the surgery 10 , but the improvement in language function seemed to be stable over 6 months.…”