黑料官网 Aphasia Research
WE Energies Center for Aphasia Research and Recovery (WE-CARE)
Aphasia refers to the loss of ability to communicate normally using speech and other forms of language. It is an unfortunately very common side effect of stroke, affecting roughly one in three stroke victims (Engelter et al., 2006). About 1 in 250 people alive today has aphasia, making it one of the most prevalent causes of serious long-term disability. Aphasia is devastating and often isolating for patients, their families, and caregivers, who struggle daily with inability to communicate and join in social activities. Aphasia treatments include speech and language exercises and pharmacologic therapies, but these treatments are only modestly effective, leaving patients with residual deficits that significantly add to the cost of stroke-related care (Ellis et al., 2012). Despite a huge need for more effective treatment options, research on aphasia treatment has historically been neglected and underfunded.
Aphasia Research at 黑料官网
Research is headed by neurologist Jeffrey Binder, MD, in collaboration with neuropsychologist Sara Pillay, PhD, neuroscientist Priyanka Shah-Basak, PhD, and other scientists at 黑料官网 and UW-Milwaukee. This work is conducted in close collaboration with the Language Imaging Laboratory, also directed by Dr. Binder, which has for decades been at the forefront of neuroimaging research on basic mechanisms of language processing in the human brain. Our aphasia studies build on the insights resulting from this foundational research, which has informed new methods of aphasia diagnosis and spurred novel theories of language learning and dynamic recovery processes. Funded by grants from the NIH, the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, and the WE Energies Foundation, our mission is to advance the science of language rehabilitation and assess promising new therapeutic approaches for people with aphasia.
Intensive Program of Aphasia Therapy
The intensive Program of Aphasia Therapy (IPAT) is a comprehensive language therapy program led by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in speech therapy, neurology, neuropsychology, and biomedical engineering. Our mission is to offer cutting-edge, evidence-based treatments for aphasia in a daily, intensive format that is generally not available elsewhere. The program is tailored to individual needs and goals while emphasizing a sense of community and well-being through functional communication.
Meet Our Team
Faculty
Jeffrey R. Binder, MD
Professor of Neurology, Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, and Biophysics; Director of Stroke and Neurobehavior Programs, Department of Neurology; Director of Language Imaging Laboratory, Department of Neurology
Sara B. Pillay, PhD, ABPP
Associate Professor
Priyanka Shah-Basak, PhD
Assistant Professor
Diane S. Book, MD
Professor
Leonardo Fernandino, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Biophysics, and Biomedical Engineering; Interim Vice Chair, Faculty Affairs and Development, Department of Neurology
William Gross, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Staff
Samantha Drane, MS
Program Manager
Anna Freiberg, BA
Head Research Psychometrist
Shelley Laitinen, MS, CCC-SLP
Program Coordinator and Speech-Language Pathologist
Joe Heffernan, MS
Engineer III