Model-oriented naming therapy in semantic dementia: A single-case fMRI study

Abstract

Background: Studies on anomia treatment in semantic dementia demonstrate that re-learning is possible, but maintenance and generalisation of improvements are limited. Changes in cortical activation associated with anomia treatment have already been demonstrated in aphasic patients after stroke. Recovery of brain functions under the impact of deficit-specific treatment in semantic dementia has not been explored yet. Nevertheless, recent activation studies using language tasks in patients with neurodegenerative diseases report altered activation patterns, involving diverse brain regions ipsi- or contralateral to the primarily affected left hemisphere.