Publications
Personalization of Words in Anomia Treatment for People With Aphasia: A Scoping Review
Amy Vogel-Eyny, Mara Steinberg Lowe, Sameer Ashaie, Samantha Slattery, Brooke Boxrud, & Nichol Castro
Purpose:
This scoping review examined how “personalization” of treatment targets, specifically words, has been defined and implemented in anomia interventions for people with aphasia following stroke or primary progressive aphasia. The review identified (a) how studies define personalized words, (b) the methods used to select them, and (c) the linguistic characteristics of personalized targets.
Method:
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews, systematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL on July 8, 2024, with no date limits. Eligible studies reported treatment involving personalized single-word targets for adults with aphasia. Data extraction captured how personalization was defined or described, word selection methods, involvement of participants and partners, and linguistic characteristics. Descriptor terms were analyzed for semantic relatedness using the WordNet LESK algorithm to identify higher order dimensions of the concept “personalization.”
Results:
Twenty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Few provided explicit definitions; most described personalization using descriptors such as “relevant,” “functional,” “familiar,” “useful,” “frequent,” and “meaningful.” Network analysis grouped these into three dimensions: meaningful, functional, and frequent. Common selection methods included interviews (n = 11), free listing (n = 8), performance informed (n = 7), and category based (n = 5). All studies involved participants with aphasia; most (n = 14) included a communication partner.
Conclusions:
Personalization is widely referenced in anomia treatment but rarely operationalized. Clearer reporting of personalization dimensions, selection methods, and linguistic features would improve comparability and align research with person-centered frameworks such as the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
Prevalence of depression in post-stroke aphasia: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Amy Vogel-Eyny, Ye-Jee Jung, JungMoon Hyun, Eleanor Siegle, Aisha Haroun, Samsun Nahar, Sarah Sarkas, Stewart A. Shankman, Samantha Slattery & Sameer Ashaie
Prevalence:
This review found that approximately 32% of people with post-stroke aphasia met criteria for depression.
Time since stroke:
Depression prevalence did not differ based on how much time had passed since the stroke.
Method of reporting:
Depression prevalence was similar whether symptoms were reported by:
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the person with aphasia (self-report), or
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a caregiver or clinician (proxy report)
Assessment tools:
Studies used a wide range of depression measures.
Most tools relied heavily on language, and few included aphasia-friendly adaptations.
Interpretation:
The lack of differences by time post-stroke or reporter suggests that methodological variability in assessment tools, rather than recovery stage, likely contributes to inconsistent prevalence estimates.
Conclusion
Depression is a common and persistent concern in people with post-stroke aphasia.
There is a clear need for validated, communication-accessible depression screening tools for this population.
Feasibility of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation combined with personalized word retrieval for improving naming in primary progressive aphasia
Allan George, Eric McConathey, Amy Vogel-Eyny, Elizabeth Galletta, Giuseppina Pilloni and Leigh Charvet
Out of Leigh Charvet's neuromodulation lab at NYU, our case series shows that home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with speech-language therapy (SLT) is a promising and feasible approach for individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). While larger studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness in slowing language decline, this method makes treatment more accessible and allows for extended therapy sessions—key steps toward making tDCS a widely available telehealth option for PPA care.