Award Title: Modulating speech recovery after stroke
Funder: Brain Research UK

Abstract: Speech and language impairment (aphasia) is a severely disabling disorder. Patients with impoverished speech are more likely to withdraw socially and suffer from depression, and when a person has anomia (word finding difficulties) after stroke, everyday communication becomes a source of profound frustration both for the person with anomia and their families. Unfortunately, provision of speech therapy within the NHS is far below that needed to provide optimal rehabilitation. While some patients recover, many do not. This project aims to use a novel brain stimulation paradigm I recently developed (tACS) to help these patients recover. The aim is for tACS to interact with brainwaves at a particular type of frequency that has been shown to be valuable for speech. tACS is a non-invasive, safe and painless  method of brain stimulation. In a previous study I showed that, when paired with behavioural training, this tACS brain stimulation method can boost learning. Here, I propose pairing my brain stimulation paradigm with anomia training to boost speech recovery in patients suffering from chronic aphasia following stroke. To ensure maximal effectiveness of the brain stimulation I will use a novel tool to personalise the dose to each patients’ own brain scans. It is hoped that this type of brain stimulation will provide a low-cost, portable  neurorehabilitation tool that can be used alongside training to reliably boost patients’ recovery after stroke. Boosting speech function recovery would have a great impact on patient wellbeing, increasing independence, ability to return to work and overall quality of life.

Lay Abstract: Speech and language impairment (aphasia) is a severely disabling disorder. Patients with impoverished speech are more likely to withdraw socially and suffer from depression, and when a person has anomia (word finding difficulties) after stroke, everyday communication becomes a source of profound frustration both for the person with anomia and their families. Unfortunately, provision of speech therapy within the NHS is far below that needed to provide optimal rehabilitation. While some patients recover, many do not. This project aims to use a novel brain stimulation paradigm I recently developed (tACS) to help these patients recover. The aim is for tACS to interact with brainwaves at a particular type of frequency that has been shown to be valuable for speech. tACS is a non-invasive, safe and painless  method of brain stimulation. In a previous study I showed that, when paired with behavioural training, this tACS brain stimulation method can boost learning. Here, I propose pairing my brain stimulation paradigm with anomia training to boost speech recovery in patients suffering from chronic aphasia following stroke. To ensure maximal effectiveness of the brain stimulation I will use a novel tool to personalise the dose to each patients’ own brain scans. It is hoped that this type of brain stimulation will provide a low-cost, portable  neurorehabilitation tool that can be used alongside training to reliably boost patients’ recovery after stroke. Boosting speech function recovery would have a great impact on patient wellbeing, increasing independence, ability to return to work and overall quality of life.

Research Activity Codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health Categories: STROKE