Treatment-induced neuroplasticity after anomia therapy in post-stroke aphasia: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies

We systematically reviewed the literature on neural changes following anomia treatment post-stroke. We con-ducted electronic searches of CINAHL, Cochrane Trials, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, MEDLINE-in-Process and PsycINFO databases; two independent raters assessed a l l abstracts and f u l l texts. Accepted studies reported original data on adults with post-stroke aphasia, who received behavioural treatment for anomia, and magnetic resonance brain imaging (MRI) pre-and post-treatment. Search results yielded 2481 citations; 33 studies were accepted. Most studies employed functional MRI and the quality of reportin g neuroimaging methodolog y was variable, particularly for pre-processing steps and statistical analyses. The most methodologically robust data were synthesized, focusing on pre-versus post-treatment contrasts. Studies more commonly reported increases (versus decreases) in activation following naming therapy, primarily in the lef t supramarginal gyrus, and left/ bilateral precunei. Our findings highlight the methodological heterogeneity across M R I studies, and the paucit y of robust evidence demonstrating direct links between brain and behaviou r in anomia rehabilitation.