Health Talk: Foreign Accent Syndrome

Imagine a Caucasian speaking English with an exotic Chinese accent. Strange as it sounds, patients with the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) do just this.FAS is a rare brain disorder often caused by a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or multiple lesions. Only around 50 cases have been reported since 1941.

People with this syndrome speak their native languages with a foreign accent. FAS has been documented in cases around the world, and accent changes from Japanese to Korean, British ....next....

Cyclist Crashes Head First Into Telephone Pole at 27mph

n July of 2005, Mark was competing in an annual race in Winston-Salem. The road was slick from an earlier rain shower, and the rider in front of Mark fell. When Mark tried to avoid the fallen cyclist, he crashed headfirst into a telephone pole going about 27 miles per hour. Mark was not expected to live and only due to the proximity of his accident to a level 1 shock trauma unit at Bowman Grey was he able to be in surgery in 30 minutes. Mark received a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Mark's brain injury forced him to relearn everything, including how to walk, talk, eat, and get dressed. The severity of the injury made him lose all of the function in his right arm, which causes him tremendous pain. Three years later, Mark is ambulatory and slowly recovering his ability to speak. He has aphasia, thus making it difficult for him to speak effectively with people or to express his thoughts and questions. He is continuing to make progress in his communication. Mark also has other cognitive deficits including loss of short-term memory, mood swings, and the inability to read or write.....next....

Obama's Slip On Jay Leno Show and My Aphasia

by Phil Staudt
blog.philstaudt.org
March 21, 2009

After my stroke it took me many months to learn how to talk again. I had never heard of aphasia, much less understood it. But I have been able to pick up on it with people who I would have previously thought were "under the influence" or mentally challenged. I have asked people up front if they have aphasia, and they get so relieved that somebody understands. I was fortunate to have minimal damage from having a stroke, and I have been able to overcome my aphasia enough for most people to not notice it unless they have known me a long time. Now when I see people on television or anywhere making fun of peo......Next....

Yesterday I got this update from my mentor about his cancer: "I had a drastic turn about in how I was feeling and ended up going into the emergency r

Yesterday I got this update from my mentor about his cancer:

"I had a drastic turn about in how I was feeling and ended up going into the emergency room. They kept me there for two days and stabilized my "stats" so that I could fly home on Tuesday. What I experienced on Sunday was a severe case of expressive aphasia, due to a combination of complications caused by the chemo drugs I was taking. I am still experiencing some of the aphasia but am working through that. next...