RESUMO
Objective:To observe the effect of melodic intonation therapy combined with speech training on nonfluent aphasia after stroke, and the changes of brain function. Methods:From March, 2017 to August, 2019, 40 patients with nonfluent aphasia after stroke were randomly divided into control group (n = 20) and intensive group (n = 20). Both groups accepted routine speech training, and the intensive group accepted melodic intonation therapy in addition. They were assessed with China Rehabilitation Research Center Chinese Standard Aphasia Examination before and four weeks after treatment. Three patients from each group were examined with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to observe the changes of regional homogeneity (ReHo) of cerebral hemisphere. Results:The scores of comprehension (noun, verb and sentence), repetition (noun and verb), read (noun) and naming (verb) increased in the control group (t > 2.221, P < 0.05), while it increased in comprehension (noun, verb and sentence), repetition (noun, verb and sentence), reading (noun and verb) and naming (noun and verb) in the intensive group (t > 2.179, P < 0.05). The scores of repetition (noun and verb) increased more in the intensive group than in the control group (t > 2.299, P < 0.05)， and the scores of reading (sentence) increased somehow. The ReHo in left cerebellum and temporal occipital area increased and the ReHo in bilateral frontal and temporal cortex decreased after treatment. Conclusion:Melodic intonation therapy based on speech therapy can promote the recovery of speech function for patients with nonfluent aphasia after stroke, especially in sentence reading and words repetition. The changes of the ReHo in resting state may associate with the neurological repairment after brain injury.