Table 2.
Summary of main studies (in alphabetical order).
| Study | Focus of study | Test | Type of STM/WM assessed | Participants with aphasiaa | Control participantsa,b |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abou El Ella et al. (2013) | Modification and standardisation of the CAT in Arabic | CAT Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 100, age = 50, education from none to graduate | N = 50, age = 45, education from none to graduate |
| Allen et al. (2012) | Links between STM, inhibition and semantics | WAIS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 20, age = 63, ed = 15 | N = 6, age = 69, ed = NR |
| Butler, Ralph, and Woollams (2014) | Neuroimaging of cognitive-linguistic processing | WMS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 31, age = 63, ed = 12 | N = 19, age = 68, ed = 13 |
| Caza, Belleville, and Gilbert (2002) | Semantic contribution to STM for words/non-words | * WAIS Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 1, age = 47, Masters educated | Not included |
| Chiou and Kennedy (2009) | Attention switching in aphasia | TEA Visual Elevator | Visual WM | N = 14, age = 64, ed = 15 | N = 14, age = 66, ed = 16 |
| Coelho et al. (2005) | Treatment study of attention | TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction; Visual Elevator | Auditory and visual WM | N = 1, age = 50, law school | Not included |
| Crescentini, Lunardelli, Mussoni, Zadini, and Shallice (2008) | Subcortical language functions (in dynamic aphasia) | * WAIS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 1, age-67, ed = 8 | Not included |
| DeDe et al. (2014) | Psychometric validation of several STM/WM tests | Listening and Reading Spans; Picture Span; Square Span (forward, backward); N-back; Alphabet Span; Subtract-2 Span; WAIS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal recall for words, non-words; sentence processing-word storage in WM; updating | N = 12, age = 64, ed = 14 | N = 47: younger group n = 21, age = 21, ed = 14; older group n = 23, age = 65; ed = 14 |
| Fillingham, Sage, and Lambon Ralph (2006) | Errorless learning in anomia treatment | TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction | Auditory WM | N = 11, age = 68, ed = NR | Not included |
| Francis, Clark, and Humphreys (2003) | Treatment of auditory-verbal STM | WMS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 1, age = 69, education information not provided | Not included |
| Friedmann and Gvion (2007) | Syntactic comprehension and STM in conduction aphasia | FriGvi (Friedmann & Gvion, 2002) Word Span; Long Word Span; Similar Word Span; Non-word Span; Digit Span; Listening Span (recall and recognition probe test); Digit and Word Matching Spans | Auditory-verbal serial recall and recognition; auditory-verbal WM | N = 5, age = 56, ed ≥ 12 | N = 15, age = 54, ed ≥ 12 |
| Fucetola, Connor, Perry, and Leo (2006) | Predictors of functional communication in aphasia recovery | WMS-III Visual Span | Visuo-spatial serial recall | N = 57, age = 58, ed = 14 | Not included |
| Fucetola, Connor, Strube, and Corbetta (2009) | Confirmatory factor analysis of some of the WAIS-III and WMS-III nonverbal tasks in stroke aphasia | WMS-III Visual Span | Visuo-spatial serial recall | N = 136, age = 59, ed = 14 | Not included |
| Galling, Goorah, Berthier, and Sage (2014) | Impact of bromocriptine on the behaviour, cognition and linguistic skills of a person with aphasia | TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction | Auditory WM | N = 1, age = 58, ed = NR | Not included |
| Gvion and Friedmann (2012) | Phonological STM in input and output conduction aphasia | FriGvi, Word Span; Long Word Span; Similar Word Span; Non-word Span; Digit Span; Listening Span (recall and recognition probe test); Digit and Word Matching Spans | Auditory-verbal serial recall and recognition; auditory-verbal WM | N = 14, age = 52, ed = 13 | N = 269, range = 20–82 (only range reported), education at least 12 years |
| Helm-Estabrooks (2002) | Non-linguistic and linguistic cognitive skills in aphasia | CLQT Design Memory | Non-verbal visuo-spatial STM recognition; auditory-verbal serial recall; auditory WM | N = 13, age = 62, ed = 14 | Not included |
| Hoffman, Jefferies, Haffey, Littlejohns, and Lambon Ralph (2013) | Semantic control and domain-general executive function in semantic aphasia | WMS-R Digit Span; TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction | N = 3, ages = 52, 54, 74, ed = left school at 15 (no other data provided) | Not included | |
| Howard and Nickels (2005) | Input and output phonological stores in STM | WAIS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 2, age = NR, ed = NR | Not included |
| Ivanova, Dragoy, Kuptsova, Ulicheva, and Laurinavichyute (2015) | Differential impact of WM impairments in individuals with fluent versus non-fluent aphasia types | Eye-movement WM (Ivanova & Hallowell, 2014) | Auditory-verbal WM | N = 35, age = 54; n = 16 (non-fluent), age = 53, ed = 13; n = 19 (fluent), age = 55, ed = 13 | N = 36, age = 50, ed = 15 |
| Ivanova and Hallowell (2014) | Validation of novel, eye-tracking auditory WM test | Novel Eye-Movement WM | Auditory-verbal WM | N = 27, age = 56, ed = 5 | N = 33, age = 55, ed = 6 |
| Kalbe, Reinhold, Brand, Markowitsch, and Kessler (2005) | Standardisation of the Aphasia Checklist | Immediate Recognition of Geometric Figures | Visual STM | N = 154, age = 63, range of education abilities | N = 106, age = 58, range of education abilities |
| Kasselimis et al. (2013) | Link between left-hemisphere, memory deficits and aphasia | Block Tapping (Kessels, van den Berg, Ruis, & Brands, 2008) | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 49 (who could complete span test), age = 60, ed = 11 | N = 15, age = 58, ed = 10 |
| Lang and Quitz (2012) | Repetition in conduction aphasia in relation to STM | * WMS-R Digit and Visual Span | Auditory-verbal and visuo-spatial serial recall | N = 49, age = 68, ed = <9 years 80%, > 9 years 30% of the sample | Other non-aphasic left or right brain-damaged controls: N = 50, age = 66.58, ed = < 9 years 80%, > 9 years 30% of the sample |
| Lee and Pyun (2014) | Cognitive status in post-stroke aphasia | Digit and Visual Span, Computerized Neurocognitive Test (MaxMedica, Seoul, Korea) | Auditory-verbal serial recall, visuo-spatial serial recall | N = 26, age = 54.7, ed = 10 | Other non-aphasic brain-damaged control: N = 68: n = 36 RHD, n = 32 LHD no aphasia, age = 60 RHD, 61 LHD, ed = 12 RHD, 10 LHD |
| Lee and Sohlberg (2013) | Effect of attention training combined with metacognitive facilitation on reading comprehension in aphasia | TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction; Visual Elevator; Elevator Counting Reversal | Auditory WM; visual WM; updating incoming information | N = 4: n = 3 (anomic); n = 1 (conduction); n = 3 (mild); n = 1 (moderate), age = 71; ed = 17 | Not included |
| Mayer and Murray (2002) | Investigation of WM and reading treatment for individual with aphasia | WMS-R Digit and Visual Span; TEA Visual Elevator, Elevator Counting with Distraction; Listening Span (Tompkins, Bloise, Timko, & Baumgaertner, 1994) | Auditory-verbal and visuo-spatial serial recall, auditory WM, auditory-verbal WM | N = 1 (anomic), age = 62, ed = 18+ | Not included |
| Meteyard, Bruce, Edmundson, and Oakhill (2015) | Text reading in aphasia | Pointing Span (Kay, Lesser, & Coltheart, 1992) | Auditory-verbal serial recall by pointing | N = 4: n = 2 (anomic), n = 1 (conduction), n = 1 (Broca’s), age = 11, ed = 17 | N = 8, age = 62.6, ed = matched but no details provided |
| Murray (2012b) | Attention deficits and aphasia | WMS-R Visual; TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction and Visual Elevator; Listening Span (Tompkins et al., 1994) | Visuo-spatial serial recall, auditory and visual WM, auditory-verbal WM | N = 39: n = 15 (anomic), n = 8 (Broca’s), n = 4 (TSA), n = 3 (TMA), n = 2 (Wernicke’s), n = 3 (conduction), n = 2 (borderline fluent), n = 2 (mixed non-fluent), severity: n = 29 (mild); n = 18 (moderate), age = 60; ed = 15 | N = 39 healthy controls; age = 63; ed = 15 |
| Murray, Keeton, and Karcher (2006) | Attention processing training in mild aphasia | WMS-R Digit and Visual Span, Visual Reproduction I; TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction; Visual Elevator; Elevator Counting Reversal; Listening Span (Tompkins et al., 1994) | Auditory-verbal and visuo-spatial serial recall, Auditory and visual WM, Auditory-verbal WM | N = 1 (mild conduction aphasia), age = 57; ed = university graduate | Not included |
| Nicholas, Sinotte, and Helm-Estabrooks (2005) | Treatment study based on alternative communication | CLQT Design Memory | Non-verbal visuo-spatial STM recognition | N = 5 non-fluent, age = 52, ed = 16 | Not included |
| Sage, Snell, and Lambon Ralph (2011) | Intensive and non-intensive therapy in the relearning of words in aphasia | TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction | Auditory-verbal WM | N = 8, n = 5 fluent, n = 3 non-fluent, age = 61, education not reported | Not included |
| Salis (2012) | STM training for STM and sentence comprehension | WMS-R Digit Span and Visual Reproduction I; Token Test (McNeil & Prescott, 1978) | Auditory-verbal and visuo-spatial serial recall; Auditory-verbal STM | N = 1, age = 73, university graduate | Not included |
| Sidiropoulos, de Bleser, Ablinger, and Ackermann (2015) | Verbal and nonverbal auditory signal processing in conduction aphasia | WMS-R Digit Span | Auditory-verbal serial recall | N = 17, age = 59, education not reported | N = 13 non-aphasic LHD, age = 59 |
| Sinotte and Coelho (2007) | Attention training to treat reading ability in mild aphasia | TEA Elevator Counting with Distraction; Visual Elevator | Auditory-verbal WM; Visual WM | N = 1, age = 60, education not reported | Not included |
| Sung et al. (2009) | WM and sentence comprehension in aphasia | Listening Span (Tompkins et al., 1994) | Auditory-verbal WM | N = 20, age = 63, ed = 15 | Not included |
| Vukovic, Vuksanovic, and Yukovic (2008) | Recovery of language and cognitive functions in post-traumatic language processing deficits and stroke aphasia | Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test – immediate recall (Rey, 1964) | Auditory-verbal free recall | N = 34, age = 47, ed = 12 | N = 37, age = 33, ed = 10 |
a
mean age and education [ed] in years, rounded figures.
b
control participants were adults with no brain damage, unless otherwise indicated;
RHD = right hemisphere damage; LHD = left hemisphere damage; N = total number of participants; n = number of participants in sub-samples; NR = not reported; TSA = transcortical sensory aphasia; TMA = transcortical motor aphasia;
*
= used non-English test version;
CAT = Comprehensive Aphasia Test; CLQT = Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test; TEA = Test of Everyday Attention; WAIS = Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; WAIS-R = Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Revised; WAIS-III = Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 3rd Edition; WMS = Wechsler Memory Scale; WMS-R = Wechsler Memory Scale – Revised; WMS-III = Wechsler Memory Scale 3rd Edition.