Studies of Aphasia
Neurophysiological Correlates of Recovery in Aphasia:
The neural correlates of recovery of language following left hemisphere stroke are not well known. These studies seek to understand the relationship between changes in brain activation patterns and behavioral improvements. We assess patients within 4 weeks of stroke onset using a language assessment battery, as well as functional MRI of semantic and phonological tasks. These tests are repeated at 6 and 12 months post stroke to correlate changes in behavior with changes in brain activity.
Constraint Induced Therapy for Fluent Aphasia:
This is a new program aimed at using constraint-induced therapy to aid in language recovery following stroke. The theory behind this approach is to retrain patients on tasks they can no longer do instead of teaching them alternative strategies. Prelimary evidence suggests that this type of phonological retraining translates to an improvement in behavior and leads to changes in brain activation patterns.
Research Highlight
The figures below show differences between aphasic patients and controls on a semantic task and a phonological task. The semantic task showed greater activation in the left fusiform and posterior cingulate gyrus while the phonology task showed more activation in the right STS and SMG.
Current Funding
R03 NS054958
Functional MRI of Recovery in Fluent Aphasia
David A. Medler, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin, an endowment of The Medical College of Wisconsin
Specific Phonological Therapy in Fluent Aphasia
Jeffrey R. Binder, M.D., Principal Investigator
