Transient improvement of aphasia with zolpidem.

to the editor: There is currently no effective pharmacologic treatment for chronic aphasia, a frequent and incapacitating consequence of hemispheric stroke. We report the case of a 52-year-old right-handed woman, who had a stroke that affected her left insula, putamen, and superior temporal gyrus. Three years later, her speech was still restricted to stereotyped syllables, with not a single identifiable word. Language comprehension was better preserved. Because of occasional insomnia, zolpidem (10 mg) was prescribed. To the amazement of the patient and her family, ingestion of the first dose was followed by a dramatic improvement in her speech, which persisted until the patient went to bed later in the night. On the following morning, aphasia had returned at its usual level of