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語言治療 Speech & Language Therapy

    根據我國行政院衛生福利部國民健康署估計,在台灣,每年約有35,000 飽受中風之苦(http://homepage.vghtpe.gov.tw/~hcqa/Excellency/E-29.htm)。失語症是中風後患者常會發生的症狀,往往影響個案日常生活功能與生活品質。
 
 
    中風後失語症有許多的治療方式,其中非流暢型失語症,是一種口語或文字溝通能力受損的情況,先前研究發現,比起「說」出語言,非流暢性失語症的患者更能夠「唱」出語言,因此,旋律語調療法(Melodic intonation therapy)被發現是能夠讓患者成功產出語言的治療方式。
韻律語調療法以語調為基礎,於非流唱性失語症病患進行密集且長期的治療,藉由旋律讓右腦接替左腦受損的語言表達區,在節拍的點上拍擊左手被刺激右腦。已經於患者行為的分析被証實對於語言能力恢復具有良好的成效。然而,以台灣病患為主,討論語言恢復及與語言路徑相關之白質纖維束間的關係至今尚未深入研究。本中心為全台灣,第一個使用核磁共振技術,檢視此一治療法成效與腦神經改變的關聯的中心,本中心已經有多年執行旋律語調療法的經驗,並且擅長於位患者提供個人化量身訂做的課程,增進其復健效果。
 
 
 
 
 
下圖為本中心先前與台大醫院新竹分院合作時,所得到之研究結果,結果顯示,有接受旋律語調治療法之患者,相較於控制組,他的白質有明顯的恢復的情形。
 
 
 

     According to The Health Promotion Administration (HPA), an estimated 35,000 patients suffer from strokes every year. Aphasia is very common among stroke patients and can affect the daily activities and quality of life of patients.

     Non-fluent aphasia is when speech output is severely reduced and limited mainly to short utterances. Research has discovered that non-fluent aphasia patients are capable of singing words that they cannot speak. Hence, melodic intonation therapy has been found to be most effective in treating this type of aphasia.

     Melodic intonation therapy involves long-term intensive treatments based on melodies and rhythms. The patient’s left hand is tapped on each beat to stimulate the right brain. This helps the right side of the brain to take over the functions of the damaged part in the language-capable regions in the left side of the brain. Melodic intonation therapy has been proven to be effective for regaining speech abilities. However, the relationship between language recovery and white matter tracts related to language pathology encompassing local patients has not been thoroughly investigated.

     In Taiwan, we are the first to incorporate MRI in investigating the connections between treatment results and changes in cranial nerves. Other than being experienced in practicing melodic intonation therapy, we also design customized programs for each individual patient to maximize the recovery results.

 


The picture below shows the research result of our collaboration with National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch. Compared to the results of the control group, patients treated with melodic intonation therapy showed significant recovery of white matter.