Measuring brain activity during object naming following stroke

There is usually some recovery in the months following stroke. However, some patients may be left with continuing problems. A common problem is when people are not always able to name things correctly. Past research has shown that there are areas in the brain that become more active when performing language tasks.

This project aims to develop a method of looking in more detail at what happens during the few seconds between seeing an object and trying to name it. Twelve people who have partially recovered language abilities will have their brain scanned as they attempt to name pictures. In the first stage of the study the researchers will examine the differences in brain activity when they succeed in naming the object compared with when they make an error. The second stage of the study will focus in more detail on different types of error and the effects on brain activity. It is hoped that this research will suggest which brain activities are needed for naming pictures correctly, and what goes wrong when an error occurs. Understanding the processes in the brain that are linked to good recovery from stroke will lead to better treatment and rehabilitation.

Scientific Title: Dynamic Brian processes in recovery from aphasia: The development of an event-related f MRI technique to compare correct and error performance during object naming

With thanks to the Oddfellows Society for supporting this award.

Press release thanking the Oddfellows for their generous £50K grant towards this research project.

PowerPoint presentation of this research project.ppt (1008 kb)

This presentation was presented by the researchers at The Stroke Association Scientific Conference in September 2005.

Classification:
Rehabilitation, Imaging

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