The introduction of IMITATE-R and its comparison with the IMITATE treatment method in the naming ability of two Persian speaking aphasic patients

ABSTRACT

Mirror neurons that have properties of audio/visual-acuity play a key role in imitation of movement performance. Since speech is a collection of coordinated movements in the producing organs, observing and imitation of speech movements can stimulate these neurons. In addition, observing hand movements trigger some actions related to the verbal cortex in the network of mirror neurons. According to the hypothesis of mirror neurons, new therapeutic approaches, including IMITATE, have been proposed for patients with aphasia. In the present study, using the IMITATE programme, a new therapeutic approach called IMITATE-R was planned based on observation of oral movements, hand gestures, and imitation of oral movements. Afterward, the IMITATE and IMITATE-R methods were compared with each other on naming skills of two Persian people with aphasia. The results showed that the rate of benefit from each treatment in each client was proportional to its individual and linguistic characteristics; however, in both patients, the IMITATE-R method was more effective in improving the naming skill. The results of this study were aimed at confirming the hypothesis of mirror neurons and the use of methods are based on action-observation for the treatment of patients with aphasia.

KEYWORDS:

• Aphasia
• Mirror neurons
• Action-observation
• IMITATE
• IMITATE-R

Acknowledgements

We give our thanks and gratitude to the esteemed clients who participated in this study. We are also thankful of those who participated in this research as actors or speaker in the provision of therapeutic stimulus and those who collaborated with us in determining appropriate or inappropriate treatment gestures and the respected engineers that involved in the development of software for the treatment and filming of films and Dr Derakhshandeh for for her advices in statistical analysis. This study titled “The introduction of the IMITATE-R treatment and its comparison with the IMITATE method in the naming skills of two Persian speaker patients with aphasia” was done under the supervision of the research deputy of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Therefore, we thank this deputy for his supervisory role as well as the financing of the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Leila Ghasisin http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7550-3372

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran [grant number 3941026].