New approach to the rehabilitation of post-stroke focal cognitive syndrome: effect of levodopa combined with speech and language therapy on functional recovery from aphasia.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies confirm that pharmacological treatments support post-stroke recovery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the combination of levodopa with language therapy improves aphasia rehabilitation.
METHODS: We did a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in which twenty patients received levodopa before each language therapy session, and an additional 19 received a placebo. Language training was provided during a 3-week period. The efficacy variables were changes from baseline in Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) scores.
RESULTS: Patients receiving levodopa experienced greater language improvement in verbal fluency and repetition, compared to patients receiving placebo. Improvement was particularly distinct in patients with anterior lesions.
CONCLUSIONS: Supplementing language therapy with levodopa may improve recovery from aphasia in patients with frontal lesions.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes