The relationship between executive functions and language abilities in people with post-stroke aphasia: A systematic review of recent findings

PURPOSE: This systematic review explores the relationship between executive functions and language abilities in people with post-stroke aphasia by addressing two questions: (a) What are the most commonly used tests and tasks to measure executive functioning in post-stroke aphasia?; and (b) Which executive functions contribute to a particular language ability? (i.e. How does executive functioning performance relate to performance on specific language comprehension and production tasks in post-stroke aphasia?). METHOD: A total of 33 studies published between January 2004 and January 2024 were conducted using the Web of Science and Scopus databases, with the PRISMA flow diagram illustrating the selection process. RESULT: Most studies (82%) reported either a partial or a clear relationship between executive functioning and language performance. However, not all executive functions contribute equally to all language abilities (e.g. comprehension vs. production) or levels (e.g. word- vs. sentence-level). The most commonly used executive functioning measures included span tasks (particularly Backward Digit Span and Listening Span variants), the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test, Trail Making Test, Stroop task, Coloured Progressive Matrices, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. CONCLUSION: The strength and consistency of the relationship between executive functioning and language appear to depend on various factors, which emphasises the need for more controlled methodology, refined measurements, and representative samples in future research.