Alfredo Ardila1,2, Durjoy Lahiri3, Alok Mukherjee4. 1. Institute of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia. 2. Psychology Doctoral Program, Albizu University, Miami, FL, USA. 3. Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, IPGME&R and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, India. 4. Electrical Engineering, Government College of Engineering and Ceramic Technology, Kolkata, India.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bilingualism may affect the profile of cognitive disturbances associated with stroke. Its impact on aphasia severity, however, is in need of substantiation. AIMS: To determine the relationship between bilingualism and vascular aphasia severity. METHODS: This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted on people with post-stroke aphasia. Our sample included 155 monolingual and 53 bilingual vascular aphasia patients. They were selected in a neurological hospital in Kolkata (West Bengal, India). RESULTS: The Bengali version of Western Aphasia Battery (BWAB) was used in this study. Aphasia severity was compared between monolingual and bilingual participants. The overall difference in the mean aphasia quotient (AQ) between bilingual and monolingual participants was statistically significant (p = 0.009). It was also found that in bilingual participants, aphasia was less severe in certain subgroups, namely: higher lesion volume, male gender, and sub-cortical stroke, while in none of the subgroups a monolingual advantage was documented. CONCLUSION: Current results suggest that bilingualism represents a protective factor in vascular aphasia; this effect is observed particularly in some aphasia subgroups.
BACKGROUND: Bilingualism may affect the profile of cognitive disturbances associated with stroke. Its impact on aphasia severity, however, is in need of substantiation. AIMS: To determine the relationship between bilingualism and vascular aphasia severity. METHODS: This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted on people with post-stroke aphasia. Our sample included 155 monolingual and 53 bilingual vascular aphasia patients. They were selected in a neurological hospital in Kolkata (West Bengal, India). RESULTS: The Bengali version of Western Aphasia Battery (BWAB) was used in this study. Aphasia severity was compared between monolingual and bilingual participants. The overall difference in the mean aphasia quotient (AQ) between bilingual and monolingual participants was statistically significant (p = 0.009). It was also found that in bilingual participants, aphasia was less severe in certain subgroups, namely: higher lesion volume, male gender, and sub-cortical stroke, while in none of the subgroups a monolingual advantage was documented. CONCLUSION: Current results suggest that bilingualism represents a protective factor in vascular aphasia; this effect is observed particularly in some aphasia subgroups.