{"id":3164,"date":"2019-01-29T15:03:52","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T20:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/?page_id=3164"},"modified":"2024-05-06T14:25:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T18:25:19","slug":"maria-varkanitsa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/people\/maria-varkanitsa\/","title":{"rendered":"Maria Varkanitsa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><a href=\"\/aphasiaresearch\/files\/2020\/11\/Maria_profile_pic.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/aphasiaresearch\/files\/2020\/11\/Maria_profile_pic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"264\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-3891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/files\/2020\/11\/Maria_profile_pic.png 264w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/files\/2020\/11\/Maria_profile_pic-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/files\/2020\/11\/Maria_profile_pic-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><\/a>Email:<\/strong> <span><a href=\"mailto:mvarkan@bu.edu\">mvarkan@bu.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Education<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li>PhD in Linguistics, University College London (UCL), London, UK<\/li>\n<li>MSc in Neuroscience, Language and Communication, University College London (UCL), London, UK<\/li>\n<li>MA in Linguistics, University of Athens, Athens, Greece<\/li>\n<li>BSc in Greek Literature (major in Linguistics), University of Athens, Athens, Greece<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Research Interests<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">My current research focuses on language processing difficulties in stroke patients with aphasia and how these difficulties relate to their cognitive deficits and brain pathology. I use behavioural measures as well as the eye-tracking technique. By exploring both language and general cognition, my primary aim is to better understand the mechanisms that underlie language comprehension difficulties in aphasia.<br \/>\nThis could inform the development of individualized treatment protocols and hopefully result in better treatment outcomes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Current projects<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/research\/neural-markers\/small-vessel-disease-treatment-outcome-in-aphasia\/\">Small Vessel Disease and treatment outcomes in aphasia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/research\/language-and-cognitive-markers\/similarity-based-interference-in-anaphora-resolution-in-aphasia-evidence-from-eye-tracking\/\">Similarity-based interference in anaphora resolution in aphasia: Evidence from eye-tracking<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Publications<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Major publications (peer-reviewed journals and book chapters)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><strong>Varkanitsa, M., <\/strong>Godecke, E., &amp; Kiran, S. (2023). How much attention do we pay to attention deficits in poststroke aphasia? <em>Stroke<\/em>, <em>54<\/em>, 55-66.<\/li>\n<li>Billot, A., Lai, S., <strong>Varkanitsa, M<\/strong>., Braun, E.J., Rapp, B., Parrish, T.B., Higgins, J., Kurani, A.S., Caplan, D., Thompson, C.K., Ishwar, P., Betke, M. &amp; Kiran, S. (2022). Multimodal neural and behavioral data predict response to rehabilitation in chronic post-stroke aphasia. <em>Stroke,<\/em> <em>May, STROKEAHA121036749<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Varkanitsa, M. <\/strong>&amp; Kiran, S. (2022). Understanding, facilitating and predicting aphasia recovery after rehabilitation. <em>International journal of speech-language pathology<\/em>, 1-12.<\/li>\n<li>Gu, Y., Bahrani, M., Billot, A., Lai, S., Braun, E.J., <strong>Varkanitsa, M<\/strong>., Bighetto, J. Rapp, B., Parrish, T.B., Caplan, D. Thompson, C.K., Kiran S. &amp; Betke, M. (2020). A Machine Learning Approach for Predicting Post-stroke Aphasia Recovery: A Pilot Study. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA \u201920), June 30-July 3, 2020, Corfu, Greece. 9 pp.<\/li>\n<li><b>Varkanitsa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, M., Pe\u00f1aloza, C., Charidimou, A., Caplan, D., &amp; Kiran, S. (2020). White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Response to Language Treatment in Poststroke Aphasia. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">34<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(10), 945\u2013953. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1545968320952809<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kasselimis*, D., <\/span><b>Varkanitsa*<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, M., Angelopoulou, G., Evdokimidis, I., Goutsos, D., &amp; Potagas, C. (2020). Word Error Analysis in Aphasia: Introducing the Greek Aphasia Error Corpus (GRAEC). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frontiers in Psychology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(August), 1\u20138. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.01577<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><b>\u00a0Varkanitsa<\/b><span>, M., Kasselimis, D., Boulouis, G., Fugard, A. J. B., Evdokimidis, I., Druks, J., \u2026 Van de Koot, H. (2019). Verbal memory and sentence comprehension in aphasia: A case series. <\/span><i><span>Neurocase<\/span><\/i><span>, <\/span><i><span>25<\/span><\/i><span>(5), 169\u2013176. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/13554794.2019.1635624<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M. &amp; Caplan, D. (2018). On the association between memory capacity and sentence comprehension: Insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis of the aphasia literature, <em>Journal of Neurolinguistics<\/em>, 48: 4-25.<\/li>\n<li>Angelopoulou, G., Kasselimis, D., Makrydakis, G., <strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Roussos, P., Goutsos, D., Evdokimidis, I. &amp; Potagas, C. (2018). Silent pauses in aphasia. <em>Neuropsychologia<\/em>, 114: 41-49.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Fugard, A.J.B, Evdokimidis, I., Druks, J., Potagas, C. &amp; Van de Koot, H. (2016). Syntactic predictions and asyntactic comprehension in aphasia: Evidence from scope relations. <em>Journal of Neurolinguistics<\/em>, <em>40<\/em>: 15-36.<\/li>\n<li>Kasselimis, D.S., <strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., (2015). Neurological Approaches to Agrammatism. In: James D. Wright (editor-in-chief), <em>International Encyclopedia of the Social &amp; Behavioral Sciences<\/em>, 2<sup>nd<\/sup> edition, Vol 16. Oxford: Elsevier. pp. 690\u2013697.<\/li>\n<li>Charidimou, A., Kasselimis, D., <strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Selai, C., Potagas, C. &amp; Evdokimidis, I. (2014). Why is it difficult to predict language impairment and outcome in patients with aphasia after stroke? <em>Journal of Clinical Neurology<\/em>, 10(2): 75-83.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M. (2012). Quantitative and error analysis of connected speech: Evidence from Greek-speaking patients with aphasia and normal speakers. In Fragaki, G., Georgakopoulos, A. &amp; Themistocleous, C. (eds), <em>Current Trends in Greek Linguistics<\/em>. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 313-338.<\/li>\n<li>Goutsos, D., Potagas, C., Kasselimis, D., <strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M. &amp; Evdokimidis, I. (2011). Studying paraphasias in the Corpus of Greek Aphasic Speech. In Potagas, C. &amp; Evdokimidis, I. (eds), <em>Speech and Memory<\/em>. Athens: Synapsis. pp. 23-59. (in Greek)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Other publications (peer-reviewed conference proceedings)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M. &amp; Caplan, D. (2017). New patterns of eye fixations in sentence comprehension in aphasia. <em>Academy of Aphasia \u2013 55<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Meeting<\/em>, November 5-7 2917, Baltimore MD, USA. Available in <em>Frontiers in Psychology<\/em>, doi: 10.3389\/conf.fnhum.2017.223.00017<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Angelopoulou, G., <strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Makrydakis, G., Tsolakopoulos, D., Roussos, P., Goutsos, D., Evdokimidis, I., Potagas, C. (2017). Let silence speak about aphasia: possible associations between pause and language related cognitive processes. <em>Academy of Aphasia \u2013 55<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Meeting<\/em>, November 5-7 2917, Baltimore MD, USA. Available in <em>Frontiers in Psychology<\/em>, doi: 10.3389\/conf.fnhum.2017.223.00127<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Potagas, C., Druks, J. &amp; Van de Koot, H. (2014). Phonological Working Memory limitations and agrammatism: Is there a causal relationship between the two? <em>Academy of Aphasia \u2013 52<sup>nd<\/sup> Annual Meeting<\/em>, October 5-7, 2014, Miami, FL, USA. Available in <em>Frontiers in Psychology,<\/em> doi: 10.3389\/conf.fpsyg.2014.64.00081.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Potagas, C., Druks, J. &amp; Van de Koot, H. (2013). Processing of Contrastive Focus in Agrammatism: The role of predictability. <em>Academy of Aphasia \u2013 51<sup>st<\/sup> Annual Meeting<\/em>, October 20-22, 2013, Lucerne, Switzerland. Available in<em> Procedia \u2013 Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/em>, 16, 177-178.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Potagas, C., Evdokimidis, I., Druks, J. &amp; Van de Koot, H. (2012). Processing of covert scope inversion in Broca\u2019s aphasia. <em>Academy of Aphasia \u2013 50<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Meeting<\/em>, October 28-30, 2012, San Francisco, CA, USA. Available in <em>Procedia \u2013 Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/em>, 18, 277 \u2013 278.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Potagas, C., Evdokimidis, I., Van de Koot, H. &amp; Druks, J. (2012). Is covert A\u2019-movement available in agrammatic Broca\u2019s aphasia? Evidence from scope ambiguity. <em>13<sup>th<\/sup> Science of Aphasia International Conference<\/em>, September 7-12, 2012, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. Available in <em>Stem- Spraak- en Taalpathologie<\/em>, 18, 124 \u2013 127.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Druks, J., <strong>Varkanitsa<\/strong>, M., Kasselimis, D., Potagas, C. &amp; Evdokimidis, I. (2011). Quantitative analysis of connected speech in aphasia: Insights from Greek-speaking patients with fluent and non-fluent types of aphasia. <em>Academy of Aphasia \u2013 49<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Meeting<\/em>, October 16-18, 2011, Montreal, Canada. Available in <em>Procedia \u2013 Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/em>, 23, 125 \u2013 126.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Email: mvarkan@bu.edu Education PhD in Linguistics, University College London (UCL), London, UK MSc in Neuroscience, Language and Communication, University College London (UCL), London, UK MA in Linguistics, University of Athens, Athens, Greece BSc in Greek Literature (major in Linguistics), University of Athens, Athens, Greece Research Interests My current research focuses on language processing difficulties in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15716,"featured_media":0,"parent":9,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3164"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15716"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3164"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4816,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3164\/revisions\/4816"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/aphasiaresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}