In this paper we report the effect of a combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and speech language therapy on linguistic deficits following left brain damage in a stroke case. We show that simultaneous electrical excitatory stimulation to the left and inhibitory stimulation to the right parietal regions (dual-tDCS) affected writing and reading rehabilitation, enhancing speech therapy outcomes. The results of a comparison with healthy controls showed that application of dual-tDCS could improve, in particular, sub-lexical transcoding and, specifically, the reading of non-words with increasing length and complexity. Positive repercussions on patient's quality of functional communication were also ascertained. Significant changes were also found in other language and cognitive tasks not directly treated (comprehension and constructive apraxia).
Background. Early recognition of post stroke aphasia is thought to be crucial to plan effective rehabilitation. The Aachener Aphasie Bedside Test (AABT) is a widely-used tool for aphasia assessment in acute phase. The AABT was translated into Italian (I-AABT) in 2011, but its psychometric properties had not yet been studied.Aims. The aims of the study were to assess the I-AABT 1) short-term test-retest and inter-rater reliability, 2) concurrent and construct validity, 3) responsiveness and 4) to develop preliminary Italian normative scores to stage aphasia severity.Methods & Procedures: Participants were recruited from three Italian hospitals and divided into four groups: 1) patients with acute aphasia (PwAA; n=116), 2) patients with post-acute aphasia (PwPA; n=54), 3) patients with right-hemisphere damage (PwRHD; n=48) and 4) patients without neurological disorders (PwND; n=30). The I-AABT was administered to all participants. The Aachner Aphasie Test (AAT) was administered to assess concurrent validity. Spearman's correlations and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) were used to calculate reliability.Concurrent and construct validity were assessed through Spearman's correlations between I-AABT and AAT subscales and Mann-Whitney test, respectively. Wilcoxon signed test was used to assess responsiveness. Both normalized z and T scores were calculated to produce Italian normative scores. Finally, ROC curves were drawn to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the I-AABT Comprehension and Production subtests.Outcomes & Results. Test-retest and inter-rater ICCs were highly significant and strong (ICC > .837, ICC > .698, p<.001, respectively). Correlations between I-AABT and AAT Comprehension and Production subtests were significant and strong (rs >.611, p <.001). Mann-Whitney test confirmed statistically significant difference between PwAA, and both PwRHD and PwND for I-AABT Spontaneous Language, Comprehension and Production subtests. A significant improvement
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