Age-related variability in cortical activity during language processing.

Purpose: The present study investigated the extent of cortical activity during overt picture naming using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Method: Participants comprised 20 healthy, adult participants with ages ranging from 20 to 82 years. While undergoing fMRI, participants completed a picture-naming task consisting of 60 high-frequency nouns.

Cortical activation and language task difficulty in aphasia.

BACKGROUND: Previous research using functional MRI (fMRI) suggests changes in cortical activation as a function of increased task difficulty. This relationship has not been explored in persons with aphasia even though it may have significant implications for pre- and post-treatment interpretation of fMRI data. AIMS: The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationship between changes in language task difficulty and cortical activation in persons with aphasia.

Spaced retrieval treatment of anomia.

BACKGROUND: Spaced Retrieval (SR) is a treatment approach developed to facilitate recall of information by individuals with dementia. Essentially an errorless learning procedure that can be used to facilitate recall of a variety of information, SR gradually increases the interval between correct recall of target items. AIMS: Given the success of using SR in dementia, the purpose of this study was to explore its usefulness in improving naming by individuals with aphasia.

Functional communication and executive function in aphasia.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationship between functional communication and executive function ability in aphasia. Twenty-five participants with aphasia underwent examination with an extensive test battery including measures of functional communication, executive function ability, and language impairment. Compared to published norms, most participants did not perform within normal limits on the executive function tests.

Measuring the hemodynamic response in chronic hypoperfusion.

Although structural brain scans help assess brain injury in stroke, they cannot identify regions that are functionally disabled due to disrupted perfusion. Perfusion and functional MRI have the potential for determining the functional consequences of stroke. Here we examine the effectiveness of functional MRI to measure brain function in a single patient (LB) with chronic hypoperfusion.

Comparing fixed- and randomized-interval spaced retrieval in anomia treatment.

Unlabelled: Spaced retrieval (SR) has recently been modified to target anomia in persons with aphasia (PWA). It relies on a strict management of the inter-stimulus interval (ISI) where the time between stimulus presentations is doubled or halved based on response accuracy. Although SR is successful in treating anomia, it remains to be studied whether the strict ISI management is necessary.