NEW DELHI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi and the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), have developed the first Hindi version of Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) for stroke survivors with speech impairment.The music-based treatment is designed for people affected by post-stroke aphasia, a condition in which patients can understand language but have difficulty speaking fluently. The pilot study conducted by the research team has been published in the international journal Aphasiology.Hindi adaptation of speech therapy approachMelodic intonation therapy uses melody and rhythm to help rebuild speech skills by connecting music and language functions in the brain. The therapy has been used in several Western languages, but prior to this research there was no validated version in Hindi.The researchers adapted MIT for Hindi by modifying the words, melodies and rhythmic patterns to match the natural stress and cadence patterns of the language. The team worked on developing exercises that corresponded to the way Hindi speakers communicate in everyday life.Hindi is spoken by hundreds of millions of people, and the researchers noted that many existing aphasia therapy resources in India are based on English-language approaches, which may not reflect the language patterns of Hindi speakers.Pilot study with stroke survivorsThe pilot study included six Hindi-speaking stroke survivors who underwent 40 therapy sessions each. Each session lasted between 45 and 60 minutes and was carried out by a trained speech therapist.All participants completed the therapy program and showed improvements that crossed the threshold considered clinically significant by clinicians. The researchers reported improvements in sentence formation, speech fluency and quality of life measures.“Patients were able to string together longer sentences, spoke more freely and reported gains in their quality of life. There were no adverse effects,” said Professor Rahul Garg, one of the researchers leading the study.The researchers emphasize the need for more studiesThe research team has stated that the findings are preliminary due to the small number of participants taking part in the pilot study. Further studies with larger groups will be required to assess the effectiveness of the MIT Hindi approach.“With only six patients, the results should be seen as a strong preliminary signal rather than definitive proof. The team is also exploring digital tools so that the therapy can reach patients beyond specialist hospitals,” said Professor NM Anoop Krishnan, another researcher leading the study.Interdisciplinary collaboration behind researchThe study was directed by Prof. NM Anoop Krishnan and Prof. Rahul Garg from IIT Delhi, along with Prof. Deepti Vibha from AIIMS New Delhi. Dushyant Soni, PhD student at the National Resource Center for Values in Engineering Education (NRCVEE) at IIT Delhi, and Rupanshi Ahuja, project staff at IIT Delhi, were joint first authors.The research team also included specialists from AIIMS New Delhi and IHBAS, including speech-language pathologists, neurologists and ENT specialists. The collaboration combined expertise from engineering, medicine and the rehabilitation sciences.The study, titled “Hindi Adaptation of Melodic Intonation Therapy for Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Pilot Feasibility Study,” has been published in Aphasiology.