Research

The primary goal of our research is to further our understanding of the effects of brain damage on communication. In particular, we are interested in language processing and language recovery mechanisms in normal individuals and patients with brain damage. We combine online reaction time experiments and offline paper/pencil tasks to investigate various aspects of lexical semantic processing (words and their meanings) in normal individuals and individuals with aphasia.

Additionally, a major focus of our research is to develop treatment methods to alleviate language deficits. Through theoretically motivated treatment experiments, we hope to demonstrate that language recovery can take place in a predictable manner following brain damage, and can be far more efficient than traditional didactic approaches

Our research projects can be categorized into the following four themes that form the basis for better treatment outcomes:

Neural Markers

We use brain-based biomarkers as potential measures that correlate to the linguistic, behavioral, and cognitive characeristics of aphasia as well as neuroimaging studies that focus on localizing activation and other changes associated with aphasic language recovery over the course of treatment.

Language and Cognitive Markers

We look at the nature of cognitive control and extra linguistic markers of language recovery. We also continue to explore the cognitive and linguistic deficits that often accompany aphasia such as executive function, attention, and memory.

Effective Treatments

We examine various aspects of rehabilitation throughout the course of treatment. Using the data available, we choose the best treatment on an individual basis.

Predictive Modeling

With the help of complex algorithms and through examining several patterns of generalization, we aim to predict individual treatment outcomes. By combining an individual’s unique characteristics, we hope to be able produce accurate predictions on each individual’s outcomes.

Additional Resources