Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42533365›Full record

ArticleNeurological research and practice2026

Impact of brain frailty on language recovery in patients with acute post-stroke aphasia: a post-hoc analysis of the LEXI randomized controlled trial.

Johannes Wischmann, Robert Forbrig, Julia Franzen, Leanna Brasch, Friederike Häfner, Katharina Feil, Lars Kellert, LEXI Investigators

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurological research and practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04080817 (Prospective, Randomized, Clinical & Experimental Controlled Noninvasive Study for Neolexon® Aphasia-App in Acute Aphasia After Stroke), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04080817 naunknown statusnot on this map

Prospective, Randomized, Clinical & Experimental Controlled Noninvasive Study for Neolexon® Aphasia-App in Acute Aphasia After Stroke

TypeinterventionalSponsorLudwig-Maximilians - University of MunichRan2019 to 2020Enrolled70ConditionsAphasia, Acquired, Stroke, AcuteArmsNeolexon, Speech therapy, Self training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Johannes WischmannDepartment of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany.
Robert ForbrigInstitute of Neuroradiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Julia FranzenDepartment of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany.
Leanna BraschDepartment of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany.
Friederike HäfnerDepartment of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany.
Katharina FeilDepartment of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Lars KellertDepartment of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany. lars.kellert@med.uni-muenchen.de.
LEXI Investigators

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe influence of brain frailty on post-stroke aphasia recovery in the acute phase and its interaction with Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) intensity is unclear. We investigated the association between brain frailty components and language outcome and assessed whether brain frailty modifies the dose-dependent treatment effect of SLT.

methodsThis is a post-hoc analysis of the LEXI multicenter randomized controlled trial, that enrolled patients with acute post-stroke aphasia from 07/2021 to 09/2024. Patients with pre-stroke cognitive impairment or dementia were not eligible for the trial. Participants were randomized to tablet-assisted SLT (Neolexon application) or standard SLT. Brain frailty was retrospectively assessed by outcome-blinded raters on interrater-adjusted baseline non-contrast CT, using cortical and subcortical atrophy, white matter changes (Fazekas score), lacunes, and chronic infarctions to derive a composite brain frailty score (BFS; range 0-3; higher scores indicate higher brain frailty burden). Primary outcome was the 90-days Bielefelder Aphasia Screening Test percentile rank.

results56 patients (median age 75 years; 48.2% female) were included. 43 patients (76.8%) had a BFS of 0-1 and 13 (23.2%) of 2-3. Higher BFS were independently associated with worse 90-day language outcome (β -5.3; 95%CI -10.35 to -0.21; p = 0.042), with higher Fazekas scores contributing most (β -4.0; 95%CI -7.6 to -0.5; p = 0.028). Higher SLT dose was associated with improved outcome (β 0.34; 95%CI 0.07 to 0.61; p = 0.016). There was no statistical evidence that brain frailty modified the association between SLT duration and language outcome (p

conclusionsHigher white matter disease burden, as a component of brain frailty, was associated with poorer post-stroke language recovery in patients without pre-stroke cognitive impairment or dementia. We found no evidence that brain frailty modified the association between SLT intensity and language outcome, although larger studies are needed to assess effect modification. Routine imaging-based assessment of white matter disease burden may improve prognostic stratification and neurorehabilitation trial design. CLINICAL

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04080817; Study Details. Neolexon® Aphasia-App in Acute Aphasia After Stroke. CLINICALTRIALS: gov. Date of Registration: September 4, 2019).

Indexed as

AphasiaBrain frailtyNeurorehabilitationRandomized controlled trialStroke

Identifiers

PMID42533365
PMCPMC13425768

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.