Biography:
I direct the SANDLab. We are interested in finding ways of optimizing language therapy for adult language disorders, with a primary interest in aphasia. Aphasia is a language disorder that occurs after a stroke or other acquired brain injury to the language dominant hemisphere of the brain. We are currently exploring how aspects of semantic organization can support word retrieval. We are also exploring what neuroplastic processes are taking place during successful therapy for word retrieval and how to enhance these processes. We use fMRI and EEG to understand the neural mechanisms of semantic processing in aphasia as well as to track neural changes related to positive outcomes of word retrieval therapy. We also examine cortical reorganization due to aging affects and how it might influence the way we interpret the cortical reorganization that results from language therapy.