In this study, we investigate intraindividual variability in language and cognitive performance in post-stroke aphasia. Although it is a common clinical observation that individuals  with aphasia exhibit significant intraindividual variability between or within  sessions, only a few empirical studies have investigated intraindividual variability and its significance in this population. The aims of this research are to systematically investigate (1) between-session and within-session variability in language processing (i.e., phonological, lexical, and semantic processing) (2) the effect of working memory demand on variability in language performance, (3) the relationship between variability and performance on standardized measures of language (e.g., aphasia severity), and (4) the relationship between variability and language recovery in post-stroke aphasia.

To our best knowledge, this is the first study to monitor changes in language abilities over a long, 5-year period in post-stroke aphasia. The research aims to provide insights into the long-term patterns of language recovery and identify areas with potential for improvement, contributing to a deeper understanding of the nature of aphasic language disorders and the reorganization of language processes. This, in turn, can assist in identifying more targeted intervention goals. Additionally, the study investigates the effects of demographic, lesion-specific, health-related, and psychosocial factors on both recovery and quality of life.

We are adapting impairment-based aphasia tests and procedures assessing the impact of aphasia on everyday life into Hungarian. Given the lack of such assessment tools in Hungarian for a long time, our aim is to expand the diagnostic toolkit for aphasia and evaluate the validity and reliability of these tools using the most up-to-date psychometric methods.