Sunday, November 29, 2009

Challenging The New York Times: Is FOXP2 really a "speech gene"?



Friday, November 27, 2009

Kirk Douglas




11/25/2009 - Kirk Douglas (stroke survivor) - 2009 Thanksgiving Meal for the Homeless Served by The Los Angeles Mission and Hosted by Kirk & Anne Douglas - Los Angeles Mission - Los Angeles, CA. USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos


Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/Kirk-Douglas/pictures/2009-Thanksgiving-Meal-for-the-Homeless-Served-by-the-Los-Angeles-Mission-and-Hosted-by-Kirk-Anne-Douglas-412060#ixzz0Y7OPwABx

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke,

Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. The results of the study were recently published online in Nature Medicine. Next...

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Improved vocabulary production after naming therapy in aphasia:

Background: Naming accuracy for nouns and verbs in aphasia can vary across different elicitation contexts, for example, simple picture naming, composite picture description, narratives, and conversation. For some people with aphasia, naming may be more accurate to simple pictures as opposed to naming in spontaneous, connected speech; for others, the opposite pattern may be evident. These differences have, in some instances, been related to word class (for example, noun or verb) as well as aphasia subtype. Given that the aim of picture-naming therapies is to improve word-finding in general, these differences in naming accuracy across contexts may have important implications for the potential functional benefits of picture-naming therapies. Next...

Friday, November 20, 2009

Intel Wants Brain Implants in Its Customers' Heads by 2020



If the idea of turning consumers into true cyborgs sounds creepy, don't tell Intel researchers. Intel's Pittsburgh lab aims to develop brain implants that can control all sorts of gadgets directly via brain waves by 2020.


The scientists anticipate that consumers will adapt quickly to the idea, and indeed crave the freedom of not requiring a keyboard, mouse, or remote control for surfing the Web or changing channels. They also predict that people will tire of multi-touch devices such as our precious iPhones, Android smart phones and even Microsoft's wacky Surface Table.   Next..

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Words, Gestures Are Translated by Same Brain Regions, Says New Research: Findings May Further Our Understanding of How Language Evolved

Your ability to make sense of Groucho's words and Harpo's pantomimes in an old Marx Brothers movie takes place in the same regions of your brain, says new research funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health.
In a study published in this week's Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers have shown that the brain regions that have long been recognized as a center in which spoken or written words are decoded are also important in interpreting wordless gestures. The findings suggest that these brain regions may play a much broader role in the interpretation of symbols than researchers have thought and, for this reason, could be the evolutionary starting point from which language originated.


Speech Defects (Aphasia, Dysphonia, and Stuttering)

Because speech is essential to human communication, anything that interferes with it can be isolating and emotionally distressing. Primary mutism, in which a person cannot speak due to absent vocal cords or another structural defect, is rare. More commonly, difficulty speaking is secondary to other conditions, including paralysis, deafness, retardation or other mental disorders, and larynx cancer. In certain cases, a person knows how to speak but has difficulty forming words.


Three often encountered disorders are: Aphasia (from the Greek, meaning "without speech"), in which brain damage impairs a person's ability to speak and/or understand spoken or written words. Sudden aphasia usually is due to a stroke or a head injury, whereas the likely cause of slowly developing aphasia is a brain tumor or progressive dementia.
next.............. 
http://www.healthlessonsonline.com/speech-defects/


Saturday, November 14, 2009

Stem-Cell Repair Kit for Stroke


A novel matrix of neural stem cells and a biodegradable polymer can quickly repair brain damage from stroke in rats. Within just seven days of injecting the concoction directly into the damaged part of the brain, new nerve tissue grew to fill stroke-induced cavities.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Abigail Breslin to Play Helen Keller on Broadway



Little Miss Sunshine herself is headed for the Great White Way. Abigail Breslin has officially been tapped to play Helen Keller in the Broadway revival of William Gibson's 'The Miracle Worker.'

The show, scheduled to open March 3 with previews beginning February 12 at Circle in the Square Theatre, will be produced by David Richenthal, longtime friend of Gibson, and directed by Kate Whoriskey. Breslin, a 13-year-old New York native, will also be joined onstage by Alison Pill, playing the role of Helen's unwavering teacher Annie Sullivan.NEXT................

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Web Exclusive Chronically Upbeat After a Stroke, a Song?

Harvey Alter's voice suggests a man in search of his song. His speech has a musical tone, but at some moments the words themselves seem computer-generated, intended simply to spit out thoughts that make sense. His deeply human laugh begins in his belly when he strains to say something he knows is funny. But this is a vast improvement. For Harvey, a 62-year-old criminologist, there used to be only silence.

* Discuss Richard's Column and Chronic Illness in the AARP Online Community
* Biologics: New Miracle Drugs (November & December 2009)
* Inspire Awards 2009 Honoree Richard M. Cohen (January & February 2009)
* Drug-Free Remedies for Chronic Pain (January & February 2009)
* Super Healing: Tap Into Your Powers of Recovery (November & December 2008)
* New Hope for Treating Chronic Disease (AARP Bulletin Today)
* Americans With Chronic Disease Get Mixed Messages From Caregivers (AARP Bulletin Today)
* AARP.org's Health Encyclopedia: Learn About Multiple Sclerosis
* Subscribe to the AARP Health Newsletter

His journey began one day in 2003. Harvey was in his Greenwich Village apartment, putting the leash on his dog in preparation for their ritual morning stroll around the neighborhood. "Suddenly, I was disoriented and felt dizzy," he remembers. "I stumbled and tried to gain control, but couldn't." Harvey was having a stroke.